•-MRLF 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


IN  MEMORY  OF 

PROFESSOR 
EUGENE  I.  McCORMAC 


1    /  i  £  ;<  V  >o 


.,  16   *.   348.  B-roadwav. 


THE 


CONFIDENTIAL  CORRESPONDENCE 


NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE 


WITH 


HIS  BROTHER  JOSEPH, 

SOMETIME    KING    OF    SPAIN. 


SELECTED  AND  TRANSLATED,  WITH  EXPLANATORY  NOTES,  FROM 
THE  'MEMOIRES  DU  KOI  JOSEPH.' 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES. 
YOL.  I. 


NEW  YORK: 
D.     APPLETON     AND     COMPANY, 

346  &  348  BROADWAY. 


M.DCCC.LVI. 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


PREFACE. 


THESE  volumes  contain  a  translation  of  all  the  Letters 
and  Orders  of  Napoleon  published  in  the  Memoirs  of  King 
Joseph. 

I  have  added  to  them  a  few  letters  of  Napoleon's 
taken  from  other  sources,  and  a  few,  not  written  by  Na 
poleon,  which  appeared  to  me  to  deserve  insertion,  either 
for  their  intrinsic  interest,  or  as  explanatory  of  his.  I 
should  have  inserted  many  more  if  I  had  not  been  re 
strained  by  the  expediency  of  keeping  the  English  publi 
cation  within  moderate  limits. 

Napoleon's  letters  contain,  of  course,  many  uninterest 
ing  details.  I  have  not,  however,  ventured  to  curtail 
them.  It  appears  to  me  that  the  reader  must  wish  to  see 
at  full  length  all  that  came  from  such  a  man  ;  and  I  feel 
that  it  is  only  by  studying  the  details  of  his  orders  that 
their  wonderful  fullness,  minuteness,  and  precision  can  be 
estimated. 

In  many  cases  I  have  left  untranslated  technical  terms 
for  which  we  have  no  equivalents.  The  military  and  the 
political  hierarchy  of  France  differ  much  from  our  own  ; 
and  where  there  was  no  corresponding  English  expression, 
I  preferred  the  French  term  to  a  tedious  circumlocution. 


PEEFACE. 


Sometimes,  also,  I  have  been  forced  to  reproduce  rather 
the  spirit  than  the  words  of  my  original.  Napoleon  could 
writej  when  he  gave  himself  time,  with  great  clearness, 
force,  and  compression  ;  but  he  was  almost  always  hur 
ried.  His  secretaries  were  trained  to  keep  up  with  his 
rapid  dictation.  He  seems  seldom  to  have  read  over  what 
they  wrote  ;  sometimes  he  did  not  even  sign  it ;  and  the 
necessary  consequence  was  that  the  inconsistencies,  the 
repetitions,  and  the  obscurities  which  belong  to  what  is 
spoken,  and  are  assisted  and  explained  by  the  voice  and 
the  manner,  were  reproduced  by  the  too  faithful  amanu 
ensis  with  all  their  imperfections  unpalliated. 

I  have  been  beset,  therefore,  by  a  constant  temptation 
to  improve  on  my  author — to  translate  not  what  he  ac 
tually  dictated,  but  what  he  would  have  dictated  if  he 
had  had  the  opportunity  of  reconsideration.  I  have 
yielded,  however,  to  it  very  sparingly,  and  I  hope  that 
the  reader  will  think  that  I  have  erred  rather  by  being  too 
literal  than  by  being  too  free. 

THE  TRANSLATOR 


CONTENTS  OP  VOL.  I. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS — Proposal  to  purchase  Ragny — A:  rests — Napo 
leon's  promotions — The  Constitution — Jerome — Louis — The  Portrait 
— The  English  in  Brittany — Society  in  Paris — The  Marseillaise — 
Junot — Marmont — Committee  of  Public  Safety — Lanjuinais'  report 
— Victory  of  Quiberon — Lucien  arrested — Peace  with  Spain,  Naples, 
and  Parma — Family  matters — Corsica — The  government — The 
Tenth  of  August — The  Convention  purified — Napoleon's  mental  state 
— Law  of  the  17th  Nivose — Royalist  agitations — Napoleon  to  remain 
in  France — Decisions  concerning  emigrants — Approval  of  Louis — 
Insurrectionary  spirit — The  Constitution  generally  accepted — 13th 
Vendemiaire — Napoleon's  further  promotions — Directors — Provision 
for  the  Bonaparte  family 11 

CHAPTER  II. 

Introductory  Remarks — Conquests  and  treaties — Joseph  ambassador  at 
Rome — Affairs  of  Rome  and  Naples — Death  of  Hoche — Treaty  of 
Radstadt— Egyptian  expedition — Capture  of  Malta— Conquest  of 
Egypt — Suspicions  of  Josephine 37 

CHAPTER  HI. 

The  Consulate — Madame  de  Stael — Capture  of*Ivrea — Lucien  and  Jerome 
— Treaty  of  Luneville — Russia  and  Austria — Mission  of  M.  de  Co- 
bentzel — Death  of  the  Emperor  Paul — Concordat — Insurrection  in 
Guadaloupe — Treaty  of  Amiens— Corsica — Pauline 50 


g  CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  I. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PAGB 

The  Empire — Introductory  remarks — Campaign  of  1805 — The  army  and 
its  chiefs — Progress  of  events — Battle  of  "Wertingen — The  Russian 
and  Austrian  armies — Occupation  of  Vienna — Estimation  of  French 
generals — Negotiation  with  Austria — Battle  of  Austerlitz — Conduct 
of  Barbe-Marbois— Peace  of  Presburg 65 

CHAPTER  V. 

Summary — Preparations  for  the  expedition  to  Naples — Projected  mar 
riages — Schonbrunn  proclamation — Instructions  to  Joseph  for  the 
invasion  of  Naples — Conduct  of  Massena — English  ministry — Barbe- 
Marbois — Army  returns — Surrender  of  Naples — Instructions  for  its 
government — The  revenue — The  lazzaroni — French  troops — Neapoli 
tan  fiefs — Supply  of  funds  from  France — Military  robbers — Instruc 
tions  for  the  siege  of  Gaeta — Severity  necessary — Joseph  King  of 
Naples — Provision  for  Bernadotte 78 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Introductory  remarks — Naples :  peculation — Defence  of  the  coast — Jour- 
dan — Army  regulations  and  supply — Siege  of  Gaeta — Military  gov 
ernment — Insurgents — Body-guard — Expedition  to  Civita  Vecchia — 
Gendarmerie — Sir  Sidney  Smith — Appointments — Louis  to  be  King 
of  Holland — Jerome — Institution  of  orders — Distrust  inculcated — 
Precautionary  measures — Strength  and  cost  of  the  army — Joseph's 
speech  and  letters — Jourdan  and  Massena — Conduct  of  Rome — Nea 
politan  duchies — French  civil  code — Instructions  for  the  invasion  of 
Sicily — Arms  and  ammunition — Distribution  of  the  army — Arrests 
ordered — Loans — Negotiations  with  England — Neapolitan  salt-tax — 
Rcederer — Character  of  Joseph's  government — Assassination  of  blind 
French  soldiers — The  ex-Queen — War  in  Calabria — Peace  with 
Russia— Fear  for  Naples 106 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

Introductory  remarks — Reynier's  narrative  of  the  battle  of  Maida — 
Naples  :  mistakes  of  Joseph'*  government — The  army  :  its  employ 
ment,  composition,  and  strength ;  remarks  on  its  dispersion  ;  and  in 
structions  for  its  better  distribution — Severe  measures  recommended 
— Expedition  to  Calabria — Proposed  fortresses — Negotiations  with 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  L  7 

England — Neapolitan  provincial  guards — Illness  of  Mr.  Fox — Recog 
nition  of  Joseph — Affairs  of  Germany — Revolt  desirable  in  Naples — 
Pillage  and  burning  of  Lauria — Treaty  with  Russia — Joseph's  guard 
— Dragoon  regiments — Sites  of  proposed  fortresses 161 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Introductory  remarks — Renewal  of  war  with  Russia — Protection  of  Pes- 
cara — Warlike  preparations — Desire  for  peace  in  England — Death  of 
Mr.  Fox — Neglect  of  sick  soldiers — Joseph's  guard — Precautionary 
measures — Character  of  Prussia — Austrian  alliance  desirable — Prus 
sian  campaign  of  1806 — Army  of  Naples — Berlin  decree — Proposal 
to  Macdonald — Rebellion  in  Poland — War  between  Turkey  and 
Russia — Murder  of  blind  soldiers — Joseph's  demands — Character  of 
the  campaign — Roederer  and  Dumas — Supplies  for  Napoleon's  army 
— Conduct  of  Austria — Suppression  of  convents  in  Naples — Siege 
and  fall  of  Dantzic — Jerome  and  Louis — Coinage  for  Naples — 
Proposed  fortresses— Battle  of  Friedland — Shipbuilding — Designs 
upon  Corfu — Ali  Pacha  of  Janina — Peace  of  Tilsit — Finances  of 
Naples 211 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Introductory  remarks — Naples :  army  regulations,  appointments,  strength, 
cost,  &c. — Shipbuilding — Want  of  returns — Neapolitan  soldiers— 
Affairs  of  Corfu — Want  of  information — Russian  squadron — Instruc 
tions  for  Csesar  Berthier — Expedition  to  Scylla — Revenue  of  Naples 
— Code  Napoleon — Arrests  ordered — Lucien's  interview  with  Napo 
leon — Milan  decree — Expedition  to  Rome — Expedition  to  Sicily — 
Composition  of  the  army  of  Sicily — Government  of  Ionian  Islands 
— Rochefort  squadron — Neapolitan  finance — Toulon  squadron — Capi 
tulation  of  Reggio — Salicetti  and  Roederer — Capture  of  Scylla — 
French  armies — Conduct  of  Admiral  Cosmao — Neapolitan  cardinals 
—Affairs  of  Spain— Joseph's  title  to  Sicily 255 

CHAPTER  X. 

Summary  of  events — Affairs  at  Bayonne — State  of  Spanish  affairs — 
Joseph  to  be  King  of  Spain — Civil  honours — Joseph  enters  Spain — 
Troops  for  Vittoria — Position  and  movements  of  the  army — Opera 
tions  of  Bessieres — Siege  of  Saragossa — Battle  of  Medina  de  Rio 
Seco — Savary — State  of  the  French  army  in  Spain — Operations  of 
Moncey — Joseph's  fears  and  encouragement — He  enters  Madrid — 


g  CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  I. 

PAGB 

Proceedings  of  Cuesta — Joseph's  difficulties — Answer  to  his  com 
plaints — He  leaves  Madrid — Defeat  of  Dupont — Appointment  of 
Ney — Instructions  to  Savary — Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  in  Portugal 316 

CHAPTER  XL 

Introductory  remarks  —  Spain:  mismanagement  of  affairs  —  Joseph's 
retreat — Appointment  of  Ambassadors — Severe  examples  necessary ; 
indulgence  fatal — Decree  and  project  for  the  organization  of  the  army 
— Affair  of  Bilbao — Joseph's  suggestions  for  a  plan  of  operations,  and 
Napoleon's  observations  thereon — Meeting  of  sovereigns  at  Erfurt — 
Want  of  information 247 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Introductory  remarks — Spain :  army  supply ;  dislike  of  contracts — Dis 
pleasure  with  Lefebvre  and  Victor — Finances — Insurrections  sup 
pressed — Appointment  of  magistrates — Disposal  of  Ney's  forces — 
Regulations  for  agents — Battles  of  Espinosa,  Tudela,  and  Somo  Sierra 
— Formation  of  the  Foreign  Regiment  of  Spain — Joseph's  guard — 
Revenue — "  The  Emperor's  Instructions ;  Administration  " — English 
army — Military  movements — Battle  of  Mancilla — Retreat  of -the 
English — Lefebvre  taken  prisoner — Deputations  from  Madrid  to  the 
provinces — Orders  concerning  the  families  of  French  emigrants 368 


THE    FAMILY    OF    BONAPAKTE. 


NAPOLEON'S     BROTHERS. 


King  of  Naples,  1806— King  of  Spain, 
1808— Count  Survilliers,  1815. 

LUCIEN, 

Prince  of  Canino,  1816. 


Louis, 

Constable  of  France,  1804— King  of 
Holland,  180T— Count  of  St.  Leu,  1810. 

JEROME, 

King  of  Westphalia,  1807— Prince  of 
Montfort,  1816. 


SISTERS. 


ELIZA, 

Princess  of  Lucca  and  Piombino,  1805 
— Grand  Duchess  of  Tuscany,  1806. 

PAULINE, 

Princess  Borghese,  1808. 


CAROLINE, 

Grand  Duchess  of  Berg  and  Cleves, 
1806— Queen  of  Naples,  1808— Count 
ess  of  Lipona,  1829. 


NAPOLEON'S     WIVES. 


JOSEPHINE, 

Viscountess  de  Beauharnois,  17 

Empress  of  France,  1804. 


MARIA  LOUISA, 

Archduchess  of  Austria,  1791— Em 
press  of  France,  1810— Duchess  of 
Parma,  1814. 


MINISTERS. 


CAMBACERES, 

Second  Consul,  1799— Prince  of  Par 
ma,  1804. 

CAULAINCOTJRT, 

Duke  of  Vicenza. 

CHAMPAGNY, 

Duke  of  Cadore. 

CLARKE, 

Duke  of  Feltre. 
FOUCHE, 

Duke  of  Otranto. 

VOL.  I.— 1* 


LEBRUN, 

Duke  of  Plaisance— Governor-General 
of  Holland. 

MAKET, 

Duke  of  Bassano. 

SAVARY, 

Duke  of  Rovigo. 

TALLEYRAND, 

Prince  of  Benevento,  1804  —  Vice 
Grand  Elector,  1807— Prince  de  Tal 
leyrand,  1814. 


10 


THE  GENEEALS  AND  MAESHALS  OF  BONAPAETE. 


MARSHALS    AND    GENERALS. 


AUGEREAU, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Castiglione. 

BERNADOTTE, 

Marshal  —  Prince  of  Ponte-Corvo  — 
Crown  Prince  of  Sweden. 

BERTHIER, 

Marehal— Duke  of  Neufchatel— Prince 
of  Wagram. 


Marshal— Duke  of  Istria. 

DAVOTJST, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Auerstadt— Prince 
of  Eckmuhl. 

EUGENE  BEAUHARNOIS, 

Marshal— Viceroy  of  Italy— Prince  of 
Venice. 

GOUVION  ST.  CYR, 
Marshal. 

GROUCHY, 

Marshal— Count  of  the  Empire. 

JOURDAN, 

Marshal 

JUNOT, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Abrantes. 

LANNES, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Montebello. 


LEFEBVRE, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Dantzic. 

MACDONALD, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Taranto. 

MARMONT, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Eagusa. 

MASSENA, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Eivoli— Prince  of 
Es&flng. 

MONCEY, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Conegliano. 

MoRTIER, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Trevlso. 

MURAT, 

Marshal— Grand  Duke  of  Berg  and 
Cleves— King  of  Naples. 

NEY, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Elchingen— Prince 
ofMoskwa. 

OUDINOT, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Eeggio. 

SOULT, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Dalmatia. 

SOUCHET, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Albnfera. 

VICTOR, 

Marshal— Duke  of  Belluno. 


LETTERS 


OF 


NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  23rd  of 
May,  1795,  to  the  7th  of  February,  1796.  Napoleon  was  born 
on  the  15th  of  August,  1769.  He  was  therefore  at  the  beginning 
of  this  period  in  his  26th,  at  the  end  of  it  in  his  27th  year. 
He  had  acquired  the  rank  of  General  of  Brigade,  but  during  the 
earlier  part  of  this  period  was  living  in  Paris  unemployed.  His 
brother  Joseph,  one  year  older,  had  been  forced,  by  the  insurrec 
tion  of  Corsica  against  France,  to  leave  his  judgeship  at  Ajaccio, 
and  to  take  refuge  in  Marseilles,  where  he  married  Julie,  daughter 
of  M.  Clary,  a  rich  merchant.  Napoleon  was  engaged  to  her 
sister,  Eug6nie  De"sire"e. 

The  date  of  Napoleon's  first  letter,  May  23,  1795,  is  about 
ten  months  after  the  9th  Thermidor,  an  II.  (27th  of  July,  1794). 
The  third  of  the  revolutionary  Constitutions,  that  of  an  III., 
was  then  under  discussion  in  the  Convention.  It  was  a  work  of 
elaborate  puerile  ingenuity.  Jealousy  of  power  was  its  ruling 
principle ;  and  the  precautions  taken  against  power  were  constant 
change  and  constant  collision.  Neither  the  electoral,  nor  the 


12  THIRD  REVOLUTIONARY  CONSTITUTION.  CHAP.  L 

legislative,  nor  the  executive  body  was  to  remain  unaltered  for 
more  than  a  single  year.  Experience  was  made  a  positive  dis 
qualification  :  neither  a  member  of  the  legislature  nor  a  member 
of  the  executive  was  re-eligible  until  after  an  interval.  The 
members  of  the  legislature  could  hold  no  other  functions,  and,  as 
is  always  the  case  with  a  representative  body  from  which  all 
members  of  the  government  are  excluded,  they  soon  settled  into 
a  permanent  opposition. 

The  Directors,  with  no  common  head  and  no  common  interest, 
who  had  not  selected  one  another  as  colleagues,  and  whose  length 
of  power  depended  on  the  chances  of  the  die,  split  into  hostile 
factions,  each  endeavouring  to  drive  the  other  into  exile  or  to  the 
guillotine.  All  the  ends  of  government  were  sacrificed  to  re 
publican  jealousy  of  its  means.  The  only  wise  act  of  its  framers 
was  a  decree  of  the  Convention  that  the  new  legislative  body 
should  contain  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  Convention.  This 
decree  was  utterly  opposed  to  the  whole  spirit  of  the  new  Consti 
tution  ;  but  it  provided  that  the  new  government  should  not  be 
administered  by  unpractised  men.  It  produced  results  of  still 
greater  consequence — it  occasioned  the  insurrection  of  the  13th 
Vendemaire,  which  made  the  fortune  of  Napoleon,  and  thereby 
has  influenced  all  the  immediate  subsequent  and  many  of  the 
remote  destinies  of  the  world. 

Many  of  the  early  letters  relate  to  trifling  family  details ; 
they  are  full  of  repetitions,  and,  if  they  had  been  written  by 
Joseph  instead  of  by  Napoleon,  would  not  have  been  worth  trans 
lation.  I  have  thought  it  advisable  to  translate  them  all,  and  in 
full,  as  the  earliest  and  perhaps  the  sincerest  exposition  of  the 
opinions  and  feelings  of  a  young  man  who  in  a  very  few  months 
was  to  be  managing  the  affairs  of  Europe  instead  of  those  of 
Joseph,  Lucien,  Louis,  and  Madame  Mere. 


JUNE,  1795.  PROPOSED  PURCHASE.  13 

[1.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

May  23, 1795. 

I  went  yesterday  to  Ragny,  the  estate  of  M.  de  Montigny. 
If  you  were  the  man  to  make  a  good  hit,  you  would  come  and 
buy  this  estate  for  eight  millions  in  assignats.  You  might  invest 
60,000  francs  of  your  wife's  fortune  in  it :  I  wish  and  advise 
you  to  do  so.  Remember  me  to  your  wife,  to  Desiree,*  and  to 
all  your  family. 

France  is  not  to  be  found  abroad.  Living  about  in  seaports 
is  rather  after  the  manner  of  an  adventurer,  or  of  a  man  who  has 
his  fortune  to  make.  If  you  are  wise,  you  have  only  to  enjoy 
yours.  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  might  have  this  estate  for 
80,000  francs  in  specie.  Before  the  revolution  it  was  worth 
250,000.  I  consider  this  to  be  an  unique  opportunity  for  invest 
ing  part  of  your  wife's  fortune.  Assignats  are  losing  in  value 
every  day. 

[2.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  May  29, 1795. 

Gentlemen  in  green  neckcloths  are  arrested  here  on  the  sus 
picion  that  they  are  Jesuits.  Many  are  arrested  suspected  to  be 
emigrants.  We  begin  to  perceive  that  the  Royalists  are  to  be 
feared  because  they  believe  themselves  to  be  favoured,  and  that 
it  is  time  to  put  an  end  to  their  hopes. 

I  sent  the  Constitution  to  you  yesterday  by  Casabianca. 
Every  thing  rises  frightfully  in  price ;  it  will  soon  be  impossible 
to  live  ;  the  harvest  is  waited  for  impatiently. 

[3.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

June  23,  1795. 

I  have  received  your  letter  No.  16.  I  was  pleased  with 
Chiape's  letter;  he  had  great  interest;  if  he  were  here,  he  might 
do  what  he  liked.  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  find  a  place  for  Lucien. 
I  am  employed  as  General  of  Brigade  in  the  Army  of  the  West, 
but  not  in  the  artillery.  I  am  ill,  which  forces  me  to  take  a  fur- 

*  Afterwards  Madame  Bernadotte. 


J4  THE  CONSTITUTION.  CHAP.  I. 

lough  of  two  or  three  months.  When  my  health  is  re-established 
I  shall  see  what  I  can  do. 

The  Constitution  is  to  be  read  to-day  to  the  Convention; 
happiness  and  tranquillity  are  expected  from  it;  I  will  send  it  to 
you  as  soon  as  it  is  in  print  and  I  can  get  it. 

J6r6me  writes  to  ask  me  to  find  him  a  boarding-school ;  there 
is  not  one  to  be  had  just  at  present.  Casabianca  intends  to  send 
his  son  to  Genoa,  and  from  thence  to  Corsica ;  he  keeps  him  at 
home  doing  nothing. 

Casabianca  is  going  to  write  to  you  about  Songis  and  your 
brother-in-law.  The  last  law  seems  to  be  very  favourable  to 
them ;  there  is  no  doubt  therefore  that  they  will  be  able  to  return, 
and  that  we  shall  get  their  names  struck  out  from  the  list  of 
emigrants. 

[4.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

June  24, 1795. 

For  the  Consul's  pension,  a  certificate  that  he  has  not  emi 
grated  sinc^e  1789  is  required,  and  a  power  of  attorney. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  a  commission  for  Louis  in  a 
regiment  of  artillery.  As  he,  however,  is  only  sixteen,  I  shall 
send  him  to  Chalons,  where  he  will  pass  his  examination,  and 
become  an  oflicer  in  a  year's  time.  To-day  the  Constitution  is  to 
be  read  to  the  Convention ;  I  will  send  it  to  you  as  soon  as  it  is 
printed. 

[5.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

June  25, 1795. 

I  will  execute  your  wife's  commissions  immediately.  D^siree 
asks  me  for  your  portrait ;  I  am  going  to  have  it  painted ;  you 
will  give  it  to  her  if  she  still  wishes  for  it ;  if  not,  keep  it  for 
yourself.  In  whatever  circumstances  you  may  be  placed  by 
fortune,  you  know  well,  my  friend,  that  you  cannot  have  a  better 
or  a  dearer  friend  than  myself,  or  one  who  wishes  more  sincerely 
for  your  happiness.  Life  is  a  flimsy  dream,  soon  to  be  over.  If 
you  are  going  away,  and  you  think  that  it  may  be  for  some  time, 
send  me  your  portrait ;  we  have  lived  together  for  so  many  years, 
so  closely  united,  that  our  hearts  have  become  one,  and  you  know 


JULY,  1795.  ENGLISH  MOVEMENTS.  15 

best  how  entirely  mine  belongs  to  you.  While  I  write  these 
lines  I  feel  an  emotion  which  I  have  seldom  experienced.  I  fear 
that  it  will  be  long  before  we  see  each  other  again,  and  I  can 
write  no  more. 

[6.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  July  7, 1795. 

I  have  had  no  news  from  you  since  you  went.  To  reach 
Genoa  the  river  Lethe  must  be  crossed,  for  since  she  has  been 
there,  D6siree  writes  to  me  no  longer. 

The  English  have  landed  12,000  men,  mostly  emigrants,  in 
Brittany.  This  does  not  cause  much  anxiety  here ;  the  superi 
ority  of  our  infantry  is  so  certain  that  we  laugh  at  these  English 
demonstrations.  The  armies  of  Italy  and  of  the  Pyrenees  ap 
pear  to  be  sharply  attacked. 

Some  articles  of  the  Constitution  are  being  decreed  every  day. 
We  are  very  quiet ;  bread  continues  scarce ;  the  weather  is 
rather  cold  and  damp  for  the  time  of  year ;  the  harvest  is  delayed 
in  consequence.  A  louis  is  worth  750  francs. 


[7.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  July  18,  1795. 

The  English  will  be  obliged  to  re-embark  in  a  few  days. 
Pichegru  is  preparing  to  cross  the  Rhine.  La  Vendee,  properly 
so  called,  is  quiet ;  the  Chouans  begin  only  on  the  bank  of  the 
Loire.  It  is  said  that  peace  with  Spain  is  at  hand.  The  Dutch 
appear  delighted  with  their  revolution ;  it  is  not  probable  that 
the  Stadtholder  will  return ;  his  party  is  absolutely  extinct. 
There  are  quarrels  in  the  North,  and  Poland  is  beginning  to  hope. 
Italy  continues  to  be  enriched  with  the  spoils  and  from  the  mis 
fortunes  of  France.  Galeazzini  is,  I  believe,  at  Genoa.  Give 
me  quickly  some  news  of  yourself. 

Luxury,  pleasure,  and  the  arts  are  reviving  here  in  a  wonder 
ful  manner.  Yesterday  they  acted  Phedre  at  the  Opera-house, 
for  the  benefit  of  a  former  actress ;  the  crowd  was  immense  from 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  although  the  prices  were  trebled. 
Equipages  and  dandies  are  re-appearing,  or  rather  they  remember 


Ig  PAEISIAN  SOGIETT.  CHAP.  I. 

their  period  of  eclipse  only  as  a  long  dream.  Libraries  are 
formed,  and  we  have  lectures  on  history,  chemistry,  botany,  as 
tronomy,  &c.  We  have  heaped  together  here  all  that  can  make 
life  amusing  and  agreeable;  reflection  is  banished.  How  is  it 
possible  to  see  the  dark  side  of  things  when  the  mind  is  constantly 
whirled  about  in  this  giddy  vortex  ?  Women  go  everywhere ; 
to  the  theatres,  to  the  public  walks,  to  the  public  libraries.  You 
find  beauties  in  the  philosopher's  study.  Here,  more  than  in  any 
other  country,  do  women  deserve  to  hold  the  helm.  Indeed  all 
the  men  are  mad  about  them ;  they  think  only  of  them,  and  live 
only  for  and  through  them.  A  woman  does  not  know  her  value, 
or  the  extent  of  her  empire,  till  she  has  spent  six  months  in 
Paris. 

[8.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  July  19, 1795. 

No  letter  from  you  yet,  though  it  is  more  than  a  month  since 
you  left  me.  I  have  not  heard  either  from  Desiree  since  she 
has  been  in  Genoa.  We  are  tolerably  peaceable  here.  There 
was  a  little'  disturbance  at  the  theatre  when  the  "  Rtveil  du 
Peuple  "  and  the  "  Marseillaise  "  were  sung.  It  seems  that  our 
young  people  do  not  approve  of  this  hymn.  The  proposed  Con 
stitution  is  becoming  law  every  day.  Instead  of  our  representa 
tives  being  named  directly  by  the  primary  assemblies,  as  was 
the  proposal  of  the  Committee  of  Eleven,  there  are  to  be  electoral 
assemblies. 

You  will  make  use,  I  suppose,  of  your  visit  to  Genoa  to  send 
home  our  plate  and  valuables. 

Louis  has  been  five  or  six  days  at  Chalons-sur-Marne ;  he  will 
make  himself  a  man  there.  He  is  well  inclined  ;  he  is  learning 
mathematics,  fortification,  and  fencing. 

I  am  waiting  to  hear  from  you  before  I  decide  on  buying  an 
estate ;  nothing  tolerable  is  to  be  had  for  less  than  800,000  or 
900,000  francs. 

Junot's  servant,  Blchard,  who  went  in  charge  of  my  horses, 
has  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  Chouans,  12  miles  from  Nantes. 
Horses  here  are  above  all  price ;  the  one  that  I  gave  to  you  is 
worth  five  times  what  it  cost  me  ;  take  care  of  it. 


JULY,  1T95.  NAPOLEON  APPOINTED  GENERAL.  17 

Junot  is  here,  leading  the  life  of  a  jolly  companion,  and 
spending  as  much  as  he  can  of  his  father's  money.  Marmont, 
who  came  with  me  from  Marseilles,  is  at  the  siege  of  Mayence. 
It  seems  that  the  army  of  Italy  has  been  beaten ;  that  we  have 
evacuated  Yado  and  Loano. 

I  long  to  hear  from  you,  and  for  tidings  of  all  your  circle. 
Love  to  your  wife,  whom  I  desire  earnestly  to  meet  in  Paris, 
where  life  is  much  happier  than  at  Genoa.  This  is  the  place 
where  an  honest  and  prudent  man,  who  cares  only  for  his  friends, 
may  live  just  as  he  likes,  in  perfect  freedom. 

f  9.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  July  25, 1T95. 

I  am  appointed  General  in  the  Army  of  the  West ;  but  my 
illness  keeps  me  here.  I  expect  more  detailed  accounts  from 
you.  I  suppose  that  you  purposely  avoid  telling  me  anything  of 
Desiree ;  I  do  not  know  whether  she  is  still  alive. 

All  goes  on  well  here.  In  the  South  alone  there  has  been  a 
little  disturbance,  got  up  by  the  young  people ;  it  is  mere  childish 
folly. 

On  the  15th  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  is  to  be  partially 
renewed ;  I  hope  that  they  will  choose  good  people.  Reinforce 
ments  are  being  sent  to  the  Army  of  Italy ;  would  you  like  me 
to  go  there  ? 

Your  letters  are  very  dry :  you  are  so  prudent  and  laconic 
that  you  tell  me  nothing.  When  will  you  return  ?  I  do  not 
think  that  your  affairs  need  keep  you  away  beyond  the  month  of 
Thermidor. 

It  is  not  certain  that  Lanjuinais'  motion  will  pass ;  it  is  pos 
sible  that  no  change  may  be  made  with  respect  to  the  retrospec 
tive  effect.  It  would  be  committing  the  same  fault  in  principle. 
I  sent  to  you,  at  the  time,  Lanjuinais'  report.*  Good  bye,  my 

*  The  motion  and  the  report  of  Lanjuinais  were  in  favour  of  the  repeal 
of  the  law  of  the  17th  Nivose,  which  applied  the  rule  of  equal  partition  to 
all  successions  which  had  occurred  since  the  14th  July,  1789,  without  regard 
to  any  intermediate  acts  or  settlements.  Lanjuinais  denonunced  the  injustice 
of  this  retrospective  legislation.  His  report  here  alluded  to  is  to  be  found  in 
the  'Moniteur'  of  the  7th  August,  1795. — TR. 


18  VICTORY  OF  QUIBEKON.  CHAP.! 

dear  friend ;  health,  gaiety,  happiness,  and  pleasure  to  you.  I 
have  sent  to  you  letters  from  Mariette,  Freron,  and  Barras, 
introducing  you  to  the  charge-d'affaires  of  the  Republic.  Per- 
mont  is  here  ;  he  begs  to  be  remembered  to  you,  and  so  do  Mui- 
ron  and  Casabianca. 

[10.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  July  23, 1795. 

Thirteen  thousand  emigrants,  having  landed  on  the  peninsula 
of  Quiberon,  near  Lorient,  raised  batteries  to  defend  the  isthmus. 
The  English  ships,  and  the  fort  of  Penthievre,  which  they  held, 
helped  to  protect  them;  they  considered  themselves  in  safety. 
Hoche  blockaded  them  on  the  main  land.  The  emigrants  made 
a  sortie  on  the  29th,  and  were  beaten.  On  the  2nd  of  Thermi- 
dor,  the  columns  of  the  Army  of  the  North  having  arrived  in 
the  night,  we  passed  the  isthmus,  drove  in  the  advanced  posts, 
carried  the  batteries,  and  killed  a  great  many  of  these  poor 
creatures;  10,090  were  made  prisoners,  and  we  seized  60,000 
muskets,  40,000  coats,  corn,  salted  meats,  and  more  than  160,000 
pairs  of  shoes.  Such  has  been  the  result  of  this  celebrated  in 
vasion;  one  cannot  help  wondering  at  Pitt's  folly  in  sending 
12,000  men  to  attack  France.  Among  the  prisoners  are  the 
Bishop  of  Dole  and  his  clergy. 

All  goes  well.  This  affair  has  somewhat  distressed  the  little 
Coblentz  party;  they  went  about  yesterday  in  low  spirits,  and 
seemed  to  think  that  the  conquerors  of  Europe  were  possessed  of 
some  courage.  In  other  respects  we  are  very  quiet. 


[11.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  July  80, 17£5. 

You  will  receive  with  this  letter  the  passport  you  asked  for. 
To-morrow  you  will  have  a  letter  from  the  Committee  of  Foreign 
Affairs  to  our  minister  at  Genoa ;  he  is  asked  to  give  you  all  the 
help  that  you  may  want. 

You  ought  to  have  received  a  letter  from  Freron,  introducing 
you  to  Villard. 

Lucien  has  managed  to  get  himself  arrested ;  a  courier  who 


ATTG.  1795.  PEACE  WITH  SPAIN,  ETC.  19 

starts  to-morrow  carries  an  order  from  the  Committee  of  Public 
Safety  to  set  him  at  liberty. 

I  will  do  all  that  you  wish ;  have  patience,  and  give  me  time. 

The  peace  with  Spain  renders  the  invasion  of  Piedmont  in 
evitable.  The  plan  which  I  proposed  is  being  discussed ;  it  will 
certainly  be  adopted.  If  I  go  to  Nice,  we  shall  meet,  and  Desiree 
likewise.  I  am  only  waiting  for  your  answer  before  I  buy  you  an 
estate. 

I  shall  write  to  Madame  Isoard  to  desire  her  to  give  Lucien 
some  money ;  I  will  find  a  place  for  him  in  Paris  before  I  go. 

I  suppose  that  when  you  wish  to  return  you  will  let  me  know. 
You  will  probably  bo  made  a  consul  in  Italy. 

All  is  quiet  here.  The  peace  with  Spain  and  Naples,  of  which 
we  heard  yesterday,  has  enchanted  us.  The  funds  are  rising,  and 
assignats  increasing  in  value. 

We  have  not  yet  had  any  hot  weather  here,  but  the  harvest  is 
as  good  as  possible ;  all  goes  well.  This  great  nation  gives  itself 
up  to  pleasure :  balls,  theatres,  women  (and  ours  are  the  finest 
in  the  world),  are  the  great  business  of  life.  Ease,  luxury,  fashion, 
have  all  re-appeared ;  the  reign  of  Terror  is  remembered  only  as 
a  dream. 

The  news  of  the  splendid  victory  of  Quiberon,  and  the  peace 
with  Spain,  have  changed  in  an  instant  the  state  of  our  affairs. 

[  12.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Aug.  1, 1T95. 

Louis  is  at  Chalons,  where  he  is  hard  at  work.  I  am  well 
pleased  with  him. 

To-morrow  four  members  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety 
are  to  be  renewed.  I  will  send  you  their  names. 

Peace  is  concluded  with  Spain,  Naples,  and  Parma;  40,000 
men  of  the  army  of  the  Pyrenees  are  marching  towards  Nice.  My 
plans  of  attack  are  adopted.  We  shall  soon  have  some  very 
serious  work  in  Lombardy.  The  King  of  Sardinia  will  no  doubt 
wish  to  make  peace ;  it  will  depend  upon  us  whether  we  make  it 
with  the  Emperor,  but  we  shall  exact  and  obtain  very  advan 
tageous  terms. 


20  FAMILY  INQUIRIES.  CHAP.  L 

The  new  constitution  in  general  gives  great  satisfaction ;  it 
promises  happiness,  tranquillity,  and  a  long  future  to  France. 
The  peace  with  Spain  has  raised  considerably  the  value  of 
assignats.  There  is  no  doubt  that  by  degrees  all  will  be  re-es 
tablished  ;  in  this  country  a  very  few  years  will  effect  it.  Your 
friend  Jams  *  has  called  on  me ;  he  is  in  Paris. 

Sallicetti  is  still  supposed  to  be  in  Switzerland,  and  it  is  said 
that  he  has  publicly  declared  that,  even  if  he  were  to  be  recalled 
by  a  decree,  he  would  not  return.  I  do  not  know  if  this  be 
true. 

I  have  had  no  letter  from  you  since  No.  4,  dated  the  25th  of 
Messidor.  I  have  not  yet  received  No.  2.  The  English  may 
have  intercepted  it.  Write  to  me  oftener.  You  never  tell  me 
any  thing  of  Mademoiselle  Eugenie,  nor  of  the  children  whom 
you  ought  to  be  expecting.  You  are  strangely  forgetful  of  your 
duty  in  that  respect.  Pray  let  us  have  a  little  nephew;  you 
must  make  a  beginning.  Julie  would  make  an  excellent  mother. 
You  would  deprive  her  of  the  greatest  happiness  in  life — nursing 
and  bringing  up  one's  children.  What  are  you  doing  at  Genoa  ? 
What  is  said  there  ?  How  are  you  amusing  yourself  ?  I  should 
think  that  it  must  be  a  very  different  place  from  this,  which  is 
the  centre  of  science,  pleasure,  art,  and  civil  liberty.  A  new 
play  was  acted  to-day,  called  Fabius.  I  will  send  it  to  you  when 
it  is  printed. 

The  [Corsican]  refugees  who  have  enough  to  live  upon  are 
wrong  to  go  back.  It  is  probable  that  Corsica  will  soon  belong 
to  us ;  they  may  return  then  more  honourably.  I  am  not  speak 
ing  of  those  who  have  not  enough  to  live  upon.  Everything 
is  horribly  dear  here,  but  this  state  of  things  will  not  last.  I 
should  like  to  send  for  Jerome ;  it  would  cost  only  1200  francs 
a-year. 

Adieu,  my  dear  friend :  I  wish  you  happiness,  freedom  from 
care,  courage,  and  friendship.  My  compliments  to  Julie,  and  say 
something  to  the  silent  lady.f 

*  Afterwards  steward  of  King  Joseph. 
f  Mdlle.  Eugenie  Desiree  Clary. 


AUG.  1795.  FOKMATION  OF  GOVEENMENT.  21 

[13.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Aug.  9, 1795. 

I  saw  yesterday  Madame  de  Semonville;  she  is  expecting 
her  husband,  who  is  to  be  exchanged  for  the  little  Capet.*  She 
is  just  the  same  as  ever,  and  so  are  her  two  daughters.  They  arc 
very  plain,  but  the  younger  is  clever. 

I  have  received  a  letter  from  Desire"e,  which  seems  to  be  very 
old.  You  never  told  me  of  it. 

I  continue  to  be  in  the  same  state.  It  is  not  impossible  that 
I  may  return,  as  formerly,  to  Nice. 

To-day  is  to  be  the  purification  of  the  Assembly.  It  will  end 
in  the  arrest  of  eight  or  ten  members. 

Everything  here  appears  to  be  going  on  pretty  well.  We  are 
expecting  the  Government  to  be  formed  in  two  months.  Bar- 
thelemy,  S6monville,  Truguet,  and  Pichegru  are  spoken  of;  but 
this  is  mere  report.  I  sometimes  see  Truguet. 

Some  one — I  cannot  remember  who — told  me  that  you  were 
amusing  yourself  extremely.  I  congratulate  you.  I  was  not 
aware  that  Genoa  was  so  gay. 

We  get  on  very  well  here,  and  are  very  happy.  It  appears 
as  if  every  one  wanted  to  make  up  for  past  sufferings,  and  the 
uncertainty  of  the  future  prompts  people  to  enjoy  unsparingly  the 
present. 

Mariette  is  interested  for  Lucien,  and  takes  great  interest 
in  me. 

If  you  want  introductions  for  Tuscany,  I  will  send  you  some 
from  Carletti,  the  Grand  Duke's  minister. 

Would  it  be  possible  to  get  any  thing  out  of  the  lawsuit  which 
we  had  in  Tuscany  ?  You  ought  to  find  out  all  about  it :  I  will 
send  you  the  best  introductions.  Ask  me  quickly  for  what  you 
want.  Your  friend  Jams  dined  with  me  yesterday. 

Good  bye,  my  dear  friend;  be  cautious  as  to  the  future 
and  satisfied  with  the  present;  be  gay,  learn  to  amuse  your 
self.  As  for  me,  I  am  happy.  I  only  want  to  find  myself 

*  Madame  d'Angouleme,  daughter  of  Louis  XVI. 


22  THE  CONVENTION— THE  CONSTITUTION.  CHAP.  I. 

on  the  battle-field ;  a  soldier  must  either  win  laurels  or  perish 
gloriously. 

Chauvet  is  here 


[14.]  NAPOLEON  TO  Jc 

Paris,  Aug.  12, 1T95. 

The  10th  of  August  was  celebrated  yesterday  with  great 
pomp ;  more  than  400,000  people  were  present ;  there  was  some 
cheering. 

The  Convention  has  been  purified ;  6  or  7  members  have  been 
arrested ;  none  of  your  friends  are  among  them. 

All  is  perfectly  tranquil  here;  the  constitution  makes  pro 
gress,  and  is  the  principal  foundation  of  our  hopes. 

Semonville  is  coming  back,  he  will  be  exchanged ;  I  dined 
two  days  ago  with  his  wife.  Every  one  thinks  that  his  own 
friends  will  be  members  of  the  Directory.  It  is  possible  that 
Servan,  the  ex-Minister  of  War,  may  be  one. 

The  peace  with  Spain  is  the  forerunner  of  a  general  peace 
with  Europe,  and  especially  with  Italy. 

La  Vend6e  is  still  disturbed.  These  gentlemen  seized 
Richard  and  my  horses. 

The  events  in  Ajaccio  are  strange ;  it  seems  that  they  are  al 
ways  tearing  each  other  to  pieces  in  that  unhappy  country. 
What  will  be  the  end  of  Paoli  ? 

What  has  become  of  Permont's  companion  ?  I  saw  Permont 
yesterday,  with  his  daughter,  the  young  lady  of  the  little  flaxen 
wig ;  she  talked  much  of  you. 

It  seems  that  there  have  really  been  riots  in  London,  and  that 
there  exists  there  an  element  of  ferment  which  may  lead  them  a 
great  way. 

Let  me  often  hear  from  you ;  you  contrive  never  to  tell  me 
anything ;  you  keep  me  so  ill-informed,  that  I  know  not  whether 
to  decide  upon  going  to  the  South  or  to  the  North ;  is  it  a  want 
of  tact  or  of  interest  on  your  part  ?  Yet  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  doubt  either  your  intelligence  or  your  affection. 

Riter  still  has  some  influence  here ;  he  is  an  excellent  man. 
This  town  is  always  the  same,  always  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure, 


AUG.  1T95.  NAPOLEON'S  STATE  OF  MIND.  23 

devoted  to  women,  to  the  theatres,  balls,  the  public  walks,  and  the 
artists'  studios. 

Fesch  seems  to  wish  to  return  to  Corsica  after  the  peace ;  he 
is  always  the  same,  living  in  the  future,  sending  me  letters  of  six 
pages  about  some  subtilty  no  broader  than  a  needle's  point ;  the 
present  is  no  more  to  him  than  the  past,  the  future  is  everything. 
As  for  me,  little  attached  to  life,  contemplating  it  without  much 
solicitude,  constantly  in  the  state  of  mind  in  which  one  is  on  the 
day  before  a  battle,  feeling  that,  while  death  is  always  amongst  us 
to  put  an  end  to  all,  anxiety  is  folly — everything  joins  to  make  me 
defy  fortune  and  fate  :  in  time  I  shall  not  get  out  of  the  way  when 
a  carriage  comes.  I  sometimes  wonder  at  my  own  state  of  mind. 
It  is  the  result  of  what  I  have  seen  and  what  I  have  risked. 

Good  bye,  my  dear  Joseph. 

P.S.  On  second  thoughts,  I  shall  not  draw  the  bill  of  ex 
change  :  I  made  the  same  remark  on  the  subject  that  you  did. 


[15.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Aug.  14, 1T95. 

Biter  goes  as  the  representative  to  the  armies  of  the  Alps  and 
of  Italy. 

The  purification  of  the  Assembly  is  finished ;  we  expect  news 
of  the  army.  It  ought  to  have  crossed  the  Rhine. 


[16.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Aug.  20, 1795. 

I  am  attached  for  the  present  to  the  topographical  board  of 
the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  for  the  direction  of  the  armies ; 
I  replace  Carnot.  If  I  ask  for  it,  I  can  be  sent  to  Turkey  as 
general  of  artillery,  commissioned  by  the  Government  to  organ 
ise  the  Grand  Seignior's  artillery,  with  a  good  salary  and  a  very 
flattering  diplomatic  title.  I  would  have  you  appointed  consul,  and 
Villeneuve*  accompany  me  as  engineer ;  you  say  that  M.  Dan- 

*  M.  Villeneuve  was  Postmaster-General  under   the  Empire,  and  brother- 
in-law  to  King  Joseph,  having  married  one  of  the  demoiselles  Clary. 


24  THE  LEGISLATURE.  CHAP.  L 

thoine*  is  there  already ;  therefore,  before  a  month  is  over  I  should 
arrive  in  Genoa ;  we  should  go  together  to  Leghorn,  where  we 
should  embark :  considering  all  this,  will  you  purchase  an  estate  ? 

We  are  quiet  here,  but  perhaps  storms  may  be  brewing ;  the 
primary  assemblies  will  meet  in  a  few  days.  I  shall  take  with 
me  5  or  6  officers ;  I  will  write  to  you  more  in  detail  to-morrow. 

Yado  will  soon  be  retaken. 

The  resolutions  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  appointing 
me  director  of  the  armies,  and  of  the  plans  of  the  campaign, 
have  been  so  flattering  to  me,  that  I  fear  that  they  will  not  let 
me  go  to  Turkey ;  we  shall  see.  I  am  to  look  at  a  villa  to-day. 

I  embrace  you.     Continue  to  write  to  me  as  if  I  were  going  to 
Turkey. 

[~17.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Aug.  25, 1T95. 

I  hope  that,  when  peace  is  made  with  Naples,  you  will  have  a 
consulship  there. 

We  are  very  quiet  here ;  the  Convention  is  to  be  renewed  by 
one-third.  I  am  overwhelmed  with  business  from  1  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  At  5  o'clock  I  go  to  the  committee,  and  work  from 

II  in  the  evening  till  3  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

The  law  of  the  17th  Nivose  was  discussed  yesterday,  and 
disposed  of  after  long  debate.f  On  the  20th  the  primary  assem 
blies  will  meet ;  they  will  proceed  to  elect  a  third  part  of  the 
legislature,  after  which  the  executive  power  will  be  appointed : 
we  shall  then  be  governed  under  the  new  constitution. 

There  is  no  news ;  our  armies  are  separated  by  the  Rhine ; 
Mayence  is  not  besieged;  La  Vendee  continues  in  the  same 
state ;  our  troops  of  the  armies  of  the  Pyrenees  are  to  join  the 
armies  of  Italy  and  of  La  Vende"e. 

*  Another  brother-in-law  of  King  Joseph's,  father  of  the  Duchesses  of 
Albufera  and  Decres. 

f  See  the  letter  of  the  25th  July,  1795.— TB. 


SEPT.  1795.  EOYALIST  AGITATION.  25 

P18.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Aug.  29, 1795. 

Our  affair  with  Milleli  cannot  be  disposed  of  without  the 
evidences.  The  army  of  the  interior  has  accepted  the  constitu 
tion  ;  several  of  the  Sections  of  Paris  have  required  the  troops 
to  be  sent  away,  and  the  repeal  of  the  decree  which  limits  the 
renewal  of  the  Convention  to  one- third ;  they  have  been  ill  re 
ceived.  In  other  respects  all  is  quiet  here;  the  mass  of  the 
Parisian  people  is  good;  some  of  the  young  people  would  like  to 
carry  further  the  reaction,  but  they  are  not  dangerous. 

Good  bye !  health,  gaiety  and  happiness !  I  have  heard  nothing 
of  what  you  tell  me  from  Marseilles. 


[19.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Aug.  80,  1795. 

I  do  not  know  what  is  become  of  Antoine  Rossi :  I  am  told 
that  he  is  living  near  Avallon,  in  Burgundy. 

We  are  negotiating  with  the  Empire ;  La  Vendee  is  still  in 
force ;  it  is  said  that  the  English  contemplate  another  landing.  I 
should  like  to  have  my  portfolio  with  all  my  papers.  Let  me 
know  the  political  state  of  Corsica. 


[20.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept.  1, 1795. 

You  wished  to  have  letters  of  introduction  to  Villard  from 
his  father :  I  send  them  to  you. 

Chiape*  is  to  join  the  army  of  the  Alps ;  Riter  and  Mayre  re 
main  with  the  army  of  Italy. 

There  is  here,  as  there  is  everywhere  else,  some  excitement  on 
account  of  the  renewal  of  the  Convention ;  the  Royalists  are  agi 
tating  ;  we  shall  see  what  will  happen. 

The  estate  which  I  wish  to  buy  for  you  is  to  be  sold  to-mor 
row.  Scherer  is  to  join  the  army  of  Italy,  Kellermann  the  army 
of  the  Alps,  and  Canclaux  the  army  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediter- 

*  Afterwards  Director-General  of  the  Telegraph. 
VOL.  I.— 2 


26  NAPOLEON  NOT  TO  LEAVE  FRANCE  CHAP.  I. 

ranean.  We  are  forming  a  camp  to  watch  the  movements  of  the 
malcontents  in  the  south.  Hoche  is  to  go  to  La  Vendee,  Moncey 
towards  Brest. 

I  remain  with  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety ;  I  am  waiting 
for  your  letters  before  I  decide. 


[21.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept.  3, 1795. 

The  estate,  nine  leagues  from  Paris,  which  I  thought  of  buy 
ing  for  you,  was  sold  yesterday.  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to 
give  1,500,000  francs  for  it,  but  strange  to  say,  it  went  for 
3,000,000.*  We  are  becoming  quiet  here ;  there  will  not  be  any 
disturbance ;  the  constitution  will  make  the  people  happy. 


[22.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept.  5, 1795. 

The  Committee  have  decided  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
leave  France  during  the  war.  I  am  to  be  re-appointed  to  the 
artillery,  and  I  shall  probably  continue  to  attend  the  Committee 
The  elections  and  the  primary  assemblies  take  place  on  the  day 
after  to-morrow  :  the  peace  with  Hesse  Cassel  is  concluded. 

National  property  and  emigrants'  estates  are  not  dear,  but 
those  belonging  to  individuals  go  for  extravagant  prices. 

If  I  stay  here  it  is  possible  that  I  may  be  fool  enough  to 
marry;  I  wish  for  a  few  words  from  you  on  the  subject.  Per 
haps  it  would  be  well  to  speak  to  Eugenie's  brother.  Let  me 
know  the  result,  and  all  shall  be  settled. 

Chauvet,  who  is  going  to  Nice  in  ten  days,  will  take  you  the 
books  which  you  asked  for 

The  celebrated  Bishop  of  Autunf  and  General  Montesquieu  are 
allowed  to  return ;  they  are  struck  out  of  the  list  of  emigrants. 

*  In  assignats.— TR.  t  Talleyrand. 


SEPT.  1795.  DECISIONS  CONCERNING  EMIGRANTS  27 

[23.]  NAPOLKOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept.  6, 1795. 

The  consulship  of  Chios  is  vacant,  but  you  tell  me  that  you 
would  not  like  to  live  in  an  island :  I  hope  for  something  better 
for  you  in  Italy. 

It  was  decided  yesterday  that  all  those  who  were  engaged  in 
the  defence  of  Toulon,  or  who  have  held  office  under  the  king, 
are  to  be  considered  as  emigrants.  Freron  and  Tallien  spoke 
with  great  power.  The  primary  assemblies  meet  to-day;  there 
are  many  placards  on  each  side ;  we  hope  that  they  will  be 
printed.  There  is  no  fear  for  the  Constitution,  it  will  be  ac 
cepted  unanimously:  the  only  cause  of  alarm  is  the  Decree 
retaining  two- thirds  of  the  Convention. 

I  shall  remain  in  Paris,  chiefly  on  your  business. 

Whatever  happens,  you  need  fear  nothing  for  me  ;  all  honest 
people  are  my  friends,  to  whatever  party  or  opinion  they  may 
belong.  Mariette  is  extremely  zealous  in  my  service  :  you  know 
his  opinions.  I  am  very  intimate  with  Dulcette ;  *  you  know 
my  other  friends  of  the  opposite  party. 

Continue  to  write  to  me  fully ;  tell  me  your  plans ;  manage  my 
business  so  that  my  absence  may  not  interfere  with  my  wishes. 

I  am  writing  to  your  wife.  I  am  pleased  with  Louis;  he 
answers  my  expectations;  he  is  good,  and  of  my  own  making: 
ardour,  talent,  health,  ability,  punctuality,  and  kindness — he  has 
everything. 

You  know  well  that  I  live  only  to  give  pleasure  to  my  friends. 
If  my  wishes  are  seconded  by  the  good  fortune  which  as  yet  has 
never  failed  me,  I  shall  be  able  to  make  you  happy  and  to  fulfil 
all  your  wishes. 

What  you  tell  me  of  Felicino  f  is  very  gratifying ;  let  him  go 
to  Corsica  and  bring  back  his  money.  I  will  find  him  a  pretty 
place  near  Paris,  where  he  may  live  happily  with  his  wife. 

I  feel  much  the  loss  of  Louis;  he  was  of  great  use  to  me: 

*  I  suspect  a  misprint,  never  having  heard  of  Dulcette. — TR. 
t  Friend  of  the  Bonaparte  family. 


28  LOUIS  BONAPARTE.  CHAP.  L 

there  is  no  man  more  active,  clever,  and  insinuating.  He  could 
do  in  Paris  whatever  he  liked.  If  he  had  been  here  the  affair 
of  the  nursery  garden  and  that  of  Milleli  would  have  been  con 
cluded.  Since  I  lost  Louis  I  have  been  able  to  attend  only  to 
important  affairs.  Write  to  him  and  tell  him  that  you  are  wait 
ing  for  him  to  send  to  you  his  first  drawing,  that  you  may  judge 
of  his  progress,  and  that  you  have  no  doubt  that  he  will  keep  his 
promise  to  write  as  well  as  Junot  does  before  the  end  of  the 
month. 

I  shall  have  three  horses  to-morrow,  which  will  enable  me  to 
drive  about  a  little,  and  to  get  through  all  my  business. 

Adieu,  dear  Joseph;  amuse  yourself;  all  goes  on  well;  be  gay; 
think  of  my  affairs,  for  I  am  fool  enough  to  wish  to  keep  house. 

As  you  are  not  here,  and  you  are  determined  to  remain 
abroad,  the  affair  with  Eugenie  must  either  be  concluded  or 
broken  off. 

I  wait  impatiently  for  your  answer.  You  can  stay  as  long  as 
you  like  at  Genoa ;  your  motive  is  clear ;  it  is  to  get  from  Cor 
sica  the  little  property  that  remains  to  us.  Remember  me  to 
Felicino. 

[24.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept.  8, 1T95. 

I  wrote  yesterday  to  your  wife,  my  dear  Joseph ;  she  must 
have  received  my  letter.  The  primary  assemblies  will  meet  in 
three  days.  The  army  of  Sambre  and  Meuse  and  that  of  the 
North  have  accepted  the  Constitution ;  several  communes  round 
Paris  have  likewise  accepted  it.  Some  of  the  sections  in  Paris 
are  disturbed  by  the  spirit  of  insurrection ;  it  is  the  work  of  some 
aristocrats,  who  wish  to  profit  by  the  exhaustion  of  the  patriots, 
drive  them  away,  and  raise  the  banner  of  counter-revolution. 
But  the  real  patriots,  the  whole  Convention,  and  the  armies  are 
here  to  defend  our  country  and  our  liberty.  Nothing  will  come 
of  it. 

I  send  a  newspaper  with  some  Toulon  news.  All  is  well  and 
quiet  here.  The  partial  excitement  is  not  much  attended  to. 

I  see  nothing  in  the  future  but  what  is  agreeable.     Were  it 


SEPT.  1795.  THE  CONSTITUTION  ACCEPTED.  29 

otherwise,  one  must  live  in  the  present.     A  brave  man  despises 
the  future. 

[25.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept.  11, 1795. 

You  will  receive  with  this  a  letter  from  General  Rossi.  He 
has  retired  to  Le  Morvan  in  Burgundy,  and  waits  there  till  the 
peace  takes  him  back  to  Corsica. 

The  primary  assemblies  of  Paris  have  rejected  the  deem 
which  allows  the  electors  to  name  only  one-third  of  the  Legis 
lature.  They  have  accepted  the  Constitution.  The  Section  des 
Quinze-Vingts,  a  part  of  the  Faubourg  Saint  Antoine,  accepts 
the  decree  and  supports  the  Convention.  The  armies,  the  city 
of  Rouen,  and  more  than  a  thousand  communes,  have  done  the 
same.  We  expect  to  hear  to-day  what  has  been  done  in  the  rest 
of  France.  There  has  been  some  ferment  in  the  sections  of  Paris, 
but  they  have  failed  in  striking  their  blow. 

The  army  of  the  Sambre-et-Meuse  has  crossed  the  Rhine  and 
occupied  the  duchy  of  Berg  and  the  town  and  citadel  of  Dusssel- 
dorf.  This  operation,  planned  two  months  ago,  is  one  of  our 
most  brilliant  successes.  It  will  have  an  immediate  influence  on 
the  peace  with  the  German  Circles. 

You  cannot  come,  I  suppose,  until  the  passage  is  free  from 
Genoa  to  Marseilles.  By  that  time  the  new  government  will  be 
acting. 

Volney  started  for  America  a  month  ago.  Gentilli  is  here, 
and  asks  for  a  retiring  pension.  Sebastiani,  who  has  a  troop  of 
dragoons,  goes  soon  to  join  his  regiment,  forming  part  of  the 
army  of  Italy.  We  are  impatient  for  news  from  that  army.  A 
speedy  opening  of  the  coasting-trade  with  Genoa  is  important  to 
our  commerce  and  to  our  supplies.  Adieu. 


[26.J  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept  15, 1795. 

The  majority  of  the  republic  has  already  accepted  the  Con 
stitution  and  the  Decree.  Some  sections  in  Paris  are  still 
agitated,  but  the  country  will  be  saved.  We  have  a  large  army 
m  La  Vendee. 


30 


SAFETY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC  SECUKED.  CHAP.  L 


I  have  just  read,  in  a  printed  report  from  Cambon  on  the 
affairs  of  the  South,  this  passage  : — "  In  this  imminent  danger 
the  brave  and  virtuous  General  Bonaparte  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  50  grenadiers  and  opened  a  passage  for  us." 

It  is  probable  that  in  a  month's  time  the  government  will  be 
appointed ;  we  shall  then  be  more  tranquil.  If  peace  is  made 
this  country  will  be  more  prosperous  than  ever :  the  public  mind 
is  in  a  state  of  activity  and  excitement  which  will  be  favourable 
to  commerce. 

I  have  your  letter  of  the  12th.  There  is  no  news.  Lyons, 
Bordeaux,  and  the  majority  of  the  republic  have  accepted. 
Before  a  month  is  over  the  Constitution  will  be  put  in  force. 
We  do  not  know  yet  whether  Marseilles  has  accepted ;  we  shall 
hear  to-day. 

[27.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept  18, 1795. 

As  I  think  that  false  reports  as  to  what  passes  here  must  be 
spread,  I  write  every  day. 

The  Constitution  is  accepted  by  all  the  world ;  the  Decree  of 
the  5th,  for  the  retention  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the 
Convention,  is  accepted  by  the  majority  of  the  primary  assem 
blies  of  the  Republic. 

Of  the  48  sections  of  Paris,  only  that  of  the  Quinze-vingts 
has  accepted  the  decree ;  the  armies  accept  everything,  both  the 
Constitution  and  the  decree.  All  goes  on  well  therefore,  and 
this  crisis,  which  might  have  been  fatal  to  liberty,  secures  the 
Republic  for  a  long  time  ;  we  have  not  had  a  single  disturbance 
here. 

The  passage  by  our  troops  of  the  Rhine  will  hasten  peace  with 
the  German  Circles.  We  are  impatiently  expecting  the  army  of 
Italy  to  regain  its  superiority. 

The  Government  will  be  appointed  immediately.  The  des 
tinies  of  France  appear  to  be  serene ;  one  of  the  primary  assem 
blies  amused  us  by  asking  for  a  king. 


SEPT.  1T95.  EXCITEMENT  IN  PARIS. 


[28.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Sept  22,  1795. 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  19th  Fructidor  [4th 
September],  with  an  enclosure  for  Muiron.*  We  are  expecting 
the  conclusion  of  the  affairs  of  Corsica  with  some  anxiety  ;  here 
all  is  quiet. 

There  is  a  majority  in  France  for  retaining  two-  thirds  of  tlio 
Convention;  if  there  be  no  collision,  the  Constitution  will  be  in 
force  before  a  month  is  over. 

The  army  of  the  Rhine  continues  to  advance  ;  it  will  soon 
cause  peace  to  be  made  with  the  German  Circles.  We  are 
expecting  before  long  satisfactory  accounts  from  the  army  of 
Italy. 

La  Vendee  continues  in  the  same  state  ;  the  Republic  is  in 
great  need  of  peace. 

It  was  said  yesterday  that  there  was  some  disturbance  at 
Marseilles;  the  law  respecting  emigrants  cannot  have  been 
popular  there. 

[29.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Sept  26,  1795. 

Your  letter  of  the  24th  Fructidor  [10  September]  is  just 
come. 

My  mission  is  talked  of  more  than  ever  ;  it  would  have  been 
settled  by  this  time  if  there  were  not  so  much  excitement  here  ; 
but  there  is  now  some  disturbance,  and  embers  which  may  burst 
into  flames  ;  it  will  be  over  in  a  few  days. 

I  have  received  M.  de  Villeneuve's  papers  ;  he  cannot  hope 
to  be  more  than  a  captain;  it  is  only  through  great  interest  that 

*  He  was  killed  at  the  bridge  of  Arcole,  when  aide-de-camp  to  Napoleon, 
who  wrote  the  following  letter  to  his  widow  :  — 

"  Muiron  was  killed  by  my  side  on  the  field  of  Arcole  :  you  have  lost  a 
husband  whom  you  loved  ;  I  have  lost  a  friend  to  whom  I  had  been  long  at 
tached  ;  but  the  country  sustains  a  greater  loss  than  either  of  us,  in  losing 
an  officer  distinguished  as  much  for  his  ability  as  for  his  rare  bravery.  If 
I  can  be  of  any  use  to  you  or  to  your  child,  pray  depend  entirely  upon 
me."  —  ED. 


32  THE  13TH  VENDEMIAIKE.  CHAP.  L 

I  shall  be  able  to  get  him  attached  to  my  mission  in  this  capa 
city  ;  but  his  chief  object  must  be  to  serve  and  to  be  of  use. 

You  ought  to  have  received  ten  days  ago  a  letter  from  Rossi 
for  his  mother.  Lucien  is  on  his  way  hither  •  if  I  am  still  here 
I  will  try  to  be  of  use  to  him. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  excitement  here.  The  moment  ap 
pears  to  be  critical ;  but  the  genius  of  liberty  never  forsakes  its 
defenders.  All  our  armies  are  successful. 

The  Committee  for  Maritime  Affairs  have  ordered  their  agent 
to  pay  the  consul  his  salary  and  to  assign  him  a  residence. 


[30.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH, 

Paris,  night  of  tb«  13-14  Vendemiaire,  2  in  the  morning 
[Oct  6],  1795. 

At  last  all  is  over.  My  first  impulse  is  to  think  of  you,  and 
to  tell  you  my  news.  The  royalists,  organised  in  their  sections, 
became  every  day  more  insolent.  The  Convention  ordered  the 
section  Lepelletier  to  be  disarmed.  It  repulsed  the  troops, 
Menou,  who  was  in  command,  is  said  to  have  betrayed  us.  He 
was  instantly  superseded.  The  Convention  appointed  Barras  to 
command  the  military  force ;  the  committees  appointed  me 
second  in  command.  We  made  our N dispositions;  the  enemy 
marched  to  attack  us  in  the  Tuileries.  "We  killed  many  of 
them ;  they  killed  30  of  our  men,  and  wounded  60.  We  have 
disarmed  the  sections,  and  all  is  quiet.  As  usual,  I  was  not 
wounded. 

P.  S.  Fortune  favours  me.  My  respects  to  Eugenie  and  to 
Julie. 

[31.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Oct  9, 1T95, 

The  newspapers  will  have  told  you  all  that  concerns  me.  I 
have  been  appointed  by  a  decree  second  in  command  of  the 
army  of  the  interior ;  Barras  is  appointed  Commander-in-chief. 
We  have  conquered,  and  all  is  forgotten. 

I  have  appointed  Chauvet  Commissary-General.  Lucien  is 
to  accompany  Freron,  who  starts  this  evening  for  Marseilles. 


OCT.  1T95.  .NAPOLEON,  GENERAL  OF  DIVISION.  33 

The  letters  of  introduction  for  the  Spanish  embassy  shall  be 
sent  off  to-morrow. 

When  the  storm  is  over  I  shall  have  Yilleneuve  appointed 
chef  de  bataillon  of  engineers. 

Ramolino*  is  appointed  inspector  of  waggons.  I  cannot  do 
more  than  I  am  doing  for  you  all.  Adieu,  dear  Joseph ;  I  will 
neglect  nothing  that  will  be  of  use  to  you  or  contribute  to  your 
happiness. 

[32.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Oct.  18, 1795. 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  10th  Vendemiaire 
[2nd  October].  I  will  take  an  opinion  upon  your  business  and 
on  your  wife's  interests. 

I  am  general  of  division  in  the  artillery,  and  second  in  com 
mand  in  the  army  of  the  Interior.  Barras  is  Commander-in- 
chief. 

All  is  quiet  here.  We  are  waiting  for  the  Government  to  be 
formed  and  the  Convention  renewed.  Several  departments  have 
elected  Barras,  Ch6nier  and  Sieyes. 

Assignats  continue  to  fall  in  value.  It  is  hoped  that  when 
the  Government  is  formed,  something  will  be  done.  I  think  that 
it  is  unwise  to  keep  much  in  them. 

I  am  extremely  busy.  Freron,  who  is  at  Marseilles,  will 
help  Lucien.  Louis  is  at  Chalons.  Madame  Permont  has  lost 
her  husband. 

One  Billon,  who  I  am  told  is  an  acquaintance  of  yours,  has 
proposed  for  Paulette.f  He  has  nothing.  I  have  written  to  tell 
mamma  tharf  it  is  not  to  be  thought  of.  I  will  learn  more  about 
him  to-day. 

[33.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Oct.  20, 1795. 

I  have  given  your  letter  and  your  case  to  two  different  law 
yers.  I  will  send  you  their  answers. 

*  Related  to  Bonaparte's  mother. 

t  Pauline  Bonaparte,  soon  after  married  to  General  Leclerc. — ED. 
VOL.  I.— 2* 


34  NAPOLEON'S  EFFOET8  CHAP.  1 

All  goes  on  well.  I  am  very  busy,  which  prevents  my  writ 
ing  to  you  more  in  detail.  I  am  longing  for  Fesch.  Boisnot  *  is 
here,  and  employed.  Junot  begs  to  be  remembered  to  you. 


[34.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

.  Paris,  Nov.  1, 1795. 

It  is  already  more  than  a  week  since  I  was  appointed  Com 
mander-in-chief  of  the  Army  of  the  Interior. 

The  Committee  of  the  Cinq  Cents  and  that  of  the  Anciens 
have  met;  the  former  has  already  made  out  its  list  for  the 
directors.  It  is  supposed  that  the  names  will  be  Sieyes,  Rew- 
bell,  Barras,  Letourneur  de  la  Manche,  Cambaceres,  and  La- 
re  velliere  Lepeaux.  One  of  these  six  must  of  course  be  left 
out. 

My  health  is  good,  although  I  am  very  busy. 


f  35.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Nov.  9, 1795. 

My  intervals  of  leisure  are  so  short  that  I  can  write  to  you 
only  a  line,  but  Fesch,  whom  I  have  desired  to  write  to  you,  is  to 
give  you  all  the  information  that  may  interest  you. 

Lucien  is  appointed  Commissary  of  the  Army  of  the  Rhine. 
Louis  is  with  me ;  he  is  writing  to  you  I  believe. 

Good  bye,  dear  Joseph;  give  my  love  to  your  wife  and 
Desiree. 

[36.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Nov.  17, 1795. 

I  hear  from  you  very  rarely;  you  must  not,  however,  be 
severe  with  me ;  you  know  that  my  duties  and  the  constant  ex 
citement  in  which  I  live  prevent  my  writing  to  you  regularly ; 
but  Fesch  ought  to  do  so  every  day. 

Our  family  is  in  want  of  nothing.     I  have  sent  them  money, 

*  Boisnot,  a  devoted  friend,  of  the  Bonaparte  family,  was  sent  to  Elba  in 
1814  by  Joseph,  to  warn  Napoleon  against  certain  emissaries  from  Paris. 
— ED. 


DEO.  1T95.  TO  PROVIDE  FOR  HIS  FAMILY.  35 

assignats,  &c.  I  received  400,000  francs  for  you  only  a  few 
days  ago.  Fesch,  to  whom  I  paid  the  money,  will  account  for 
it  to  you.  Ornano  will  come  hither.  I  shall  perhaps  be  able  to 
send  for  our  family.  Give  me  more  detailed  accounts  of  your 
self,  of  your  wife,  and  of  Eug6nie.  Adieu,  dear  Joseph  ;  the  only 
want  I  feel  is  of  your  society.  If  your  wife  were  not  expecting 
her  confinement,  I  would  try  to  persuade  you  to  pay  Paris  a  visit 
shortly. 

Songis  is  my  aide-de-camp  and  chef  de  brigade ;  Junot  chef 
de  bataillon ;  Louis,  and  five  others  with  whom  you  are  not  ac 
quainted,  are  aides-de-camp  capitaines. 


[37.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Dec.  81, 1795. 

I  have  received,  dear  Joseph,  the  letter  in  which  you  com 
plain  of  my  silence;  I  have,  however  written  to  you.  You 
need  not  be  uneasy  about  our  family ;  they  are  well  provided 
with  everything.  Jerome  arrived  yesterday  with  General  Au- 
gereau.  I  am  going  to  send  him  to  a  school  where  he^will  do 
well. 

I  have  sent  to  you  a  passport  for  Blaccini.  In  a  few  days 
you  shall  have  letters  of  marque.  You  will  soon  be  a  consul. 
Don't  be  uneasy.  If  you  are  tired  of  Genoa,  I  see  no  objection 
to  your  coming  to  Paris.  I  can  give  you  an  apartment,  a  table, 
and  a  carriage. 

Oson  goes  the  day  after  to-morrow.  He  takes  Genoa  on  his 
way,  and  carries  some  presents  from  me  to  your  wife. 

If  you  do  not  wish  for  a  consulship,  come  hither.  You  shall 
choose  your  place.  Adieu,  my  dear  Joseph ;  you  would  do  me 
wrong  if  you  thought  that  I  could  be  indifferent  for  one  instant 
to  anything^  that  concerns  you.  Be  cheerful,  and,  if  you  are 
tired,  come  to  Paris  and  amuse  yourself  there  till  you  find  some 
thing  to  do  that  suits  you. 


36  PATJLETTE'S  MARRIAGE.  CHAP.  L 

[38.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  11, 1796. 

I  sent  to  you,  my  dear  Joseph,  the  passport  for  Blaccini  more 
than  a  fortnight  ago.  You  must  have  received  it  with  the  two 
letters  of  marque. 

The  multiplicity  and  the  importance  of  my  business  prevent 
my  writing  to  you  frequently.  I  am  happy  and  contented.  I 
have  sent  to  our  family  from  50,000  to  60,000  francs  in  money, 
assignats,  and  things.  I  continue  satisfied  with  Louis.  He  is 
my  aide-de-camp  capitaine.  Marmont  and  Junot  are  my  two 
aides-de-camp  chefs  de  bataillon.  Jerome  is  at  school  learning 
Latin,  mathematics,  drawing,  music,  &c. 

I  see  no  objection  to  Paulette's  marriage  if  he  is  rich. 

Adieu.  Nothing  can  diminish  the  interest  which  I  take  in 
all  that  may  please  you.  Kind  remembrances  to  Julie. 


[39.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  7, 1T96. 

You%  will  certainly  have  the  first  consulship  that  suits  you. 
In  the  mean  time  keep  house  for  yourself  in  Genoa.  Salicetti, 
who  is  the  Commissioner  of  the  Government  at  the  army,  and 
Chauvet,  who  is  Commissary-General,  will  employ  you  at  Genoa, 
so  as  to  render  your  residence  there  neither  expensive  nor  useless. 

Lucien  starts  to-morrow  for  the  army  of  the  North.  He  is 
made  a  Commissariat  officer.  Ramolino  is  here,  in  the  Commis 
sariat.  Ornano  is  Lieutenant  in  the  Legion  of  Police.  Our 
family  is  provided  for.  I  have  sent  to  them  everything  that 
they  can  want.  Fesch  will  be  well  placed  here.  Salicetti  will 
be  zealous  in  your  service.  He  has  been  much  pleased  with  me. 
I  wish  you  to  remain  at  Genoa,  unless  he  employs  you  at  Leg 
horn.  All  this  is  only  provisional.  You  will  soon  be  a  consul. 
Nothing  can  exceed  my  anxiety  to  make  you  happy  in  all 
respects. 


MAT,  1796,  CAMPAIGN  OF  1796.  37 


CHAPTEK  II. 

BETWEEN  the  last  letter  of  the  previous  chapter  and  the  first  of 
this  chapter  little  more  than  three  months  elapsed.  During  this 
interval  the  engagement  between  Napoleon  and  Eugenie  Desiree 
Clary  must  have  been  broken  off.  The  merchant's  daughter 
missed  becoming  Empress  of  the  French  to  become  Queen  of 
Sweden.  On  the  9th  of  March  Napoleon  married  Josephine. 
On  the  27th  of  March  he  arrived  at  Nice,  the  head-quarters  of 
the  army  of  Italy.  By  the  29th  of  April,  with  30,000  men,  he 
had  beaten  the  Piedmontese  and  Austrian  armies,  .of  80,000 
men,  in  four  battles,  and  forced  Piedmont  to  abandon  the  contest, 
and  cede  to  him  the  great  fortress  of  Coni,  Tortona,  and  Alex 
andria,  with  their  vast  magazines.  On  the  9th  of  May  he  forced 
the  bridge  of  Lodi ;  and  on  the  15th  of  May,  the  date  of  the  first 
of  the  following  letters,  he  entered  Milan. 

The  following  letters  extend  from  the  15th  of  May,  1796,  tc 
the  25th  of  July,  1798.  During  the  fourteen  first  months  he 
was  in  Italy,  engaged,  until  April,  1797,  the  date  of  the  Prelimi 
naries  of  Leoben,  in  the  wonderful  campaigns  which  drove  tho 
Austrians  across  the  Alps,  and  virtually  destroyed  the  indepen 
dence  of  the  Pope. 

From  that  time  until  the  30th  of  October,  Napoleon  occupied 
with  Josephine  the  beautiful  villa  of  Passeriano,  near  Udine 
employed  in  the  overthrow  of  the  Venetian  republic,  and  ir 


38  CONQUESTS  AND  TREATIES.  CHAP.  U 

negotiating  the  treaty  of  Carnpo  Fomio — a  time  to  which  he 
appears  to  have  always  looked  back  as  the  happiest  of  his  life. 

Wo  have  no  letters  between  Napoleon's  return  to  Paris,  on 
the  5th  of  December,  1797,  and  his  arrival  at  Toulon  in  the  be 
ginning  of  May,  1798,  to  take  the  command  of  the  army  of 
Egypt.  A  few  letters,  written  during  the  voyage,  and  two  from 
Egypt,  fill  the  remainder  of  this  chapter 


[40.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  May  14,*  1796. 

All  goes  on  well.  Pray  arrange  Paulette's  affairs.  I  do 
not  intend  Freron  to  marry  her.  Tell  her  so,  and  let  him  know 
it  too. 

We  are  masters  of  all  Lonibardy. 

Adieu,  my  dear  Joseph ;  give  me  news  of  my  wife.  I  hear 
that  she  is  ill,  which  wrings  my  heart. 

[41.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Verona,  Aug.  26, 1796. 

I  have  your  letter  of  the  30th,  without  any  details  from  Cor 
sica.  You  will  find  with  this  letter  my  answer  to  one  from  the 
administrators  of  the  Department  du  Liamone.  Such  being  the 
law,  the  organization  of  the  two  departments  must  be  retained. 

We  have  made  peace  with  Naples,  and  a  treaty  with  Genoa, 
and  we  are  going  to  enter  into  an  alliance,  offensive  and  defensive, 
with  Prussia. 

Things  are  somewhat  better  on  the  Rhine.  Moreau  has 
gained  a  victory.  Kleber  replaces  Beurnonville.  All  looks  well. 

I  am  anxious  for  regular  news  from  Corsica,  and  to  know  the 
state  of  Ajaccio.  My  health  is  fair ;  nothing  new  in  the  army. 

*  This  date  is  erroneous.  Napoleon  entered  Milan  the  26th  Floreal,  or  the 
15th  of  May.— TR. 


JULY,  1T9T.  JOSEPH  AMBASSADOR  AT  ROME.  39 

[42.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Dec.  10, 1796. 

We  have  made  peace  with  Parma.  I  expect  every  day  to 
hear  that  you  are  the  minister  there.  Come  back  as  soon  as  you 
can.  Mix  yourself  up  little,  or  not  at  all,  with  Corsican  poli 
tics.  Arrange  our  domestic  affairs.  Let  our  house  be  in  a 
habitable  state,  such  as  it  was,  adding  to  it  the  apartment  of 
Ignazio,  and  do  the  little  things  that  are  necessary  to  improve 
the  street. 

I  expect  Fesch  and  Paulette  at  Milan  in  a  fortnight.  As  you 
return  by  Milan,  settle  the  San-Miniato  *  business.  Miot  goes  to 
Turin ;  Cacault  to  Florence. 


[43.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Passeriano,  July  4, 1797. 

With  this  letter,  Citizen  Ambassador,!  you  will  find  a  copy 
of  my  note  to  the  Pope's  envoy  at  Milan. 

I  believe  it  to  be  very  important  to  the  welfare  of  France, 
and  indeed  of  religion,  that  the  Pope  should  give  strict  orders  to 
our  prelates  to  obey  the  laws  of  the  Republic.  As  you  have  not 
received  instructions  on  this  subject  from  our  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  you  can  only  follow  up  my  note. 

I  beg  you  to  interest  yourself,  unofficially,  to  obtain  a  cardi 
nal's  hat  for  the  archbishop  of  Milan. 


[44.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Passeriano,  July  4, 1797. 

With  this  letter,  Citizen  Ambassador,  you  will  find  a  letter 
written  to  me  formerly  by  citizen  Monge.  It  is  essential  to  the 
dignity  of  the  French  Republic  and  to  humanity  that  you  should 
make  the  Court  of  Rome  feel  the  necessity  of  not  sacrificing 
men  so  esteemed  as  those  who  are  mentioned  in  this  letter. 

*  A  property  near  Florence,  on  which  the  Bonaparte  family  had  some 
claims. — ED. 

t  Joseph  was  now  the  French  ambassador  in  Rome. — TR. 


40  COMPLAINTS  AGAINST  EOME.  CHAP.  II. 

I  believe  it  to  be  indispensable  that,  while  you  endeavour  to 
maintain  a  good  understanding  between  the  French  Republic  and 
the  Court  of  Rome,  you  should  repress  the  madness  with  which 
many  of  the  members  of  that  court  seem  to  wish  to  oppress  those 
who  have  received  our  artists  or  assisted  our  ambassadors. 

From  the  beginning  of  your  mission  assume  a  tone  befitting 
the  nation,  that  you  represent. 


[45.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Passeriano,  Sept  2, 1797. 

I  request  you,  Citizen  Ambassador,  to  make  the  Court  of  Rome 
explain  itself,  and  recognise  the  Cisalpine  Republic,  as  the  King 
of  Sardinia  and  the  republics  of  Genoa  and  Venice  have  done. 


[46.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Passeriano,  Sept.  2,  1797. 

You  will  find,  Citizen  Ambassador,  with  this  letter  a  copy  of 
the  despatches  of  the  Roman  minister  at  Milan,  intercepted  by  us. 
I  request  you  to  take  the  initiative,  and  to  make  known  to  his 
Holiness  that  I  am  dissatisfied  with  this  minister,  and  that  T  wish 
the  Court  of  Rome  to  remove  him,  and,  if  a  minister  is  wanted 
there,  to  replace  him ;  though  I  think  that  your  presence  in  Rome 
makes  the  latter  unnecessary.  On  that  point,  however,  his  Holi 
ness  must  take  his  own  course. 


[47.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Passeriano,  Sept.  29, 1797. 

I  have  received,  Citizen  Ambassador,  your  letter  of  the  3rd 
Vendemiaire  [24th  September].  You  will  make  known  immedi 
ately  to  the  Court  of  Rome,  that,  if  General  Provera*  is  not  im 
mediately  sent  away  from  Rome,  the  French  Republic  will  consider 
his  presence  there  as  an  act  of  hostility  on  the  part  of  his  Holi 
ness.  Explain  how  indecent  it  is,  when  the  fate  of  Rome  depended 

*  He  had  commanded  in  Italy  against  the  French,  and  was  at  this  time  in 
the  command  of  the  Roman  army. — ED. 


SEPT.  1797.  AFFAIES  OF  EOME  AND  NAPLES.  4J 

on  us,  when  she  owes  her  existence  to  our  generosity,  to  see  the 
Pope  renewing  his  intrigues,  and  wearing  colours  that  cannot  be 
agreeable  to  us.  You  may  say  in  your  conversations  with  the 
Secretary  of  State,  and  even  in  your  note  if  necessary,  "  The 
French  Republic  was  generous  at  Tolento  ;  she  will  not  be  so 
again  under  similar  circumstances." 

I  am  reinforcing  the  garrison  of  Ancona  with  a  Polish  bat 
talion. 

The  squadron  of  Admiral  Brueys  answers  for  the  conduct  of 
the  Neapolitan  Court.  You  need  feel  no  anxiety.  If  Naples 
attempts  to  interfere,  I  will  immediately  destroy  her  commerce  by 
the  squadron,  and,  as  soon  as  circumstances  permit  me,  I  will  send 
thither  a  column  of  troops  by  way  of  answer.  I  shall  see  M.  de 
Gallo*  in  an  hour.  I  shall  take  a  tone  which  will  deter  these  Ne 
apolitan  gentlemen  from  marching  on  Rome. 

In  short,  while  the  present  state  of  affairs  in  Rome  continues, 
you  must  not  suffer  a  gentleman  so  well  known  as  M.  Provera  to 
command  in  Rome.  The  Directory  does  not  intend  to  allow  the 
petty  intrigues  of  the  Italian  princes  to  recommence.  Knowing 
well  the  Italians,  I  attach  the  greatest  importance  to  preventing 
the  Roman  troops  from  being  under  an  Austrian  general. 

In  your  conversation  with  the  Secretary  of  State  you  will  say, 
"  The  French  Republic,  always  well  disposed  to  the  Pope,  is  per 
haps  on  the  point  of  restoring  Ancona  to  him.  You  are  ruining 
your  own  affairs.  You  will  be  responsible.  You  will  have  revolts 
in  Macerata  and  Urbino.  You  will  ask  assistance  from  France, 
and  it  will  be  refused."  In  fact,  rather  than  give  to  the  Court 
of  Rome  time  to  intrigue  against  us,  I  will  make  the  beginning. 
Demand  not  only  that  M.  Provera  be  deprived  of  the  command,  but 
require  him  to  leave  Rome  in  24  hours.  Show  decision  of  char 
acter.  The  greatest  firmness  and  the  plainest  speaking  are  neces 
sary  with  such  people.  Show  your  teeth,  and  they  are  afraid ; 
use  them  with  too  much  consideration,  and  they  become  insolent. 

Say  publicly  in  Rome  that,  as  M.  Provera  has  been  twice  my 
prisoner  of  war,  he  will  soon  be  so  a  third  time.  If  he  attempts 

*  The  Neapolitan  ambassador. 


42  AFFAIRS  OF  EOME  AND  NAPLES.  CHAP.  II. 

to  visit  you,  do  not  receive  him.  I  know  well  the  Court  of  Rome. 
This  matter  alone,  well  managed,  may  ruin  it. 

The  aide-de-camp  who  brings  you  this  letter  has  orders  to  go 
on  to  Naples,  and  see  citizen  Canclaux.  He  will  see  with  his  own 
eyes  whether  the  Neapolitan  troops  are  moving.  I  cannot  believe 
it,  though  I  have  perceived  for  some  time  a  sort  of  coalition  be 
tween  the  courts  of  Naples  and  Rome,  and  even  Florence.  It  is 
the  alliance  of  the  rats  against  the  cat. 

You  will  find  with  this  letter  one  which,  if  you  think  it  expe 
dient,  my  aide-de-camp  will  present  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  tell 
ing  him,  at  the  same  time,  in  the  tone  which  becomes  the  conquer 
ors  of  Italy,  that,  if  M.  Provera  has  not  left  Rome  in  twenty-four 
hours,  we  shall  be  forced  to  pay  them  a  visit. 

Should  the  Pope  die,  you  will  do  all  that  you  possibly  can  to 
prevent  his  having  a  successor,  and  to  bring  on  a  revolution.  The 
King  of  Naples  will  keep  quiet.  Should  he  move  after  the  revo 
lution  has  been  made  and  the  people  has  seized  the  power,  you 
will  declare  to  the  King  of  Naples,  if  he  passes  his  frontier,  that 
the  Roman  people  is  under  the  protection  of  the  French  Republic. 
You  will  then  proceed  in  person  to  the  Neapolitan  general,  and 
say  to  him  that  the  French  Republic  sees  no  objection  to  a  nego 
tiation  as  to  the  demands  of  the  Court  of  Naples  [on  Rome],  par 
ticularly  as  to  those  made  by  M.  Balbo  in  Paris,  and  by  M.  de 
Gallo  to  me :  but  that  he  must  not  support  them  by  arms,  such 
conduct  being  regarded  by  the  French  Republic  as  an  act  of  hos 
tility  to  herself. 

In  all  this  matter  you  will  put  on  a  bold  exterior,  to  deter  the 
King  of  Naples  from  entering  Rome,  tempered  by  the  kindest  rep 
resentations,  in  order  to  convince  him  that  it  is  not  his  interest 
to  do  so.  If,  in  spite  of  all  your  exertions,  the  King  of  Naples 
should  enter  Rome,  which  I  do  not  expect,  you  will  remain  there, 
and  affect  to  ignore  altogether  any  authority  which  he  may  exer 
cise  there.  You  will  protect  the  people  of  Rome,  and  be  their 
avowed  advocate ;  your  advocacy  being  such  as  may  be  worthy  of 
the  representative  of  the  first  nation  of  the  world. 

You  must  be  aware  that,  under  such  circumstances,  I  shall 
take  quickly  the  measures  which  may  be  necessary  to  enable  you 


OCT.  1797.  ELECTION  OF  A  POPE.  43 

to  support  your  declaration  that  you  will  oppose  the  invasion  of 
Rome  by  the  King  of  Naples. 

If,  on  the  Pope's  death,  there  is  no  insurrection  in  Rome,  and 
there  are  no  means  of  preventing  the  election  of  a  Pope,  do  not 
suffer  Cardinal  Albani  to  be  named.  You  will  not  only  use  your 
right  of  pronouncing  an  exclusion,  but  you  will  alarm  the  cardi 
nals  by  threatening  that  I  shall  in  that  event  march  instantly  on 
Rome.  We  do  not  oppose  his  being  a  pope,  but  we  will  not  suf 
fer  the  assassin  of  Basseville  to  be  a  sovereign.  But  if  Spain  also 
pronounces  an  exclusion  against  him,  I  do  not  see  a  possibility  of 
his  success. 

[48.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eadstadt,  Oct.  1, 1797. 

I  have  ordered  Haller  to  pay  your  current  expenses.  He  says 
that  he  has  given  you  50,000  francs. 

Nothing  new  in  France.  All  is  quiet  here.  This  Congress 
goes  on  ill.  The  pretensions  on  each  side  are  exaggerated. 

Do  not  suffer  Provera  to  be  in  Rome 


[49.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Passeriano,  Oct.  16, 1797. 

You  will  find  with  this  letter,  Citizen  Ambassador,  a  copy  of 
one  which  I  have  written  to  the  minister  of  the  Cisalpine  Repub 
lic.  Pray  communicate  it  to  the  best  composers,  and  beg  them 
in  my  name  to  try  for  the  prize. 

[Enclosure,  same  date.] 

I  request  you,  Citizen  Minister,  to  make  known  to  the  compo 
sers  in  the  Cisalpine  Republic,  and  generally  in  Italy,  that  I  offer, 
by  competition,  for  the  best  march,  overture,  &c.,  on  the  death  of 
General  Hoche,  a  medal  worth  60  sequins.  The  pieces  must  be 
received  by  the  80th  Brumaire  [20th  November].  You  will  have 
the  kindness  to  name  three  artists  or  amateurs  as  adjudicators, 
and  to  charge  yourself  with  the  other  details. 


44  NAPOLEON  AT  MILAN.  CHAP.  II. 

[  50.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Passeriano,  Oct.  30, 179T. 

I  have  received,  Citizen  Ambassador,  your  note  on  General 
Pro v era.  It  was  right  in  style  and  substance.  I  think  it  neces 
sary  that  you  should  write  officially  and  procure  the  liberation  of 
all  persons  imprisoned  for  their  opinions.  Watch  always  the  do 
ings  of  the  Neapolitans.  I  send  French  troops  to  Ancona  and 
into  Romagna. 

[51.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Nov.  8, 1T97. 

I  have  received  your  last  letter,  Citizen  Ambassador.  Our 
military  chest  is  so  poor  that  I  cannot  repay  to  you  what  you  have 
spent  for  the  army, 

The  department  of  finance  must  have  remitted  to  you.  Em 
ploy  the  money  first  in  reimbursing  yourself  your  advances  for  the 
army,  and  then  ask  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  for  your  sal 
ary. 

[  52.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Nov.  11, 1T97. 

You  ought  not  to  hesitate,  Citizen  Ambassador,  in  accepting 
the  Pope's  proposition.  Let  him  give  the  prisoners  their  liberty 
and  property,  and  let  them  go.  They  lose  nothing  by  living  out 
of  Rome. 

[53.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Nov.  12, 1797. 

General  Duphot*  will  give  you  this  letter.  I  recommend  him 
to  you  as  an  excellent  man.  He  will  talk  to  you  about  the  mar 
riage  which  he  wishes  to  make  with  your  sister-in-law.  It  will, 
I  think,  be  a  good  match  for  her.  He  is  a  distinguished  officer. 

*  Assassinated  soon  after  by  Joseph  s  side. 


DEO.  179T.  TKEATY  OF  PEACE.  4.5 

[54.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Nov.  15, 1797. 

I  start  to-morrow  for  Radstadt,  to  exchange  ratifications,  exe 
cute  the  treaty,  and  be  present  at  the  imperial  congress. 

Haller  will  pay  the  three  or  four  months'  salary  due  to  you, 
and  also  that  for  the  next  three  months. 

My  wife  thinks  of  setting  off  in  three  or  four  days  to  visit 
Rome.  If  this  should  be  talked  about  or  bo  in  any  way  objection- 
ble,  send  a  courier  to  Florence  to  stop  her. 

[55.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan  (no  date). 

I  inform  you,  Citizen  Ambassador,  that  the  definitive  treaty  of 
peace  was  signed  on  the  night  of  the  26-27th.  These  are  its  prin 
cipal  conditions : — 

France  has  Mayence,  the  frontier  of  the  Rhine  (except  Co 
logne),  Corfu,  Zante,  Cephalonia,  Santa  Maura,  and  the  Venetian 
establishments  in  Albania  below  the  Gulf. 

The  Cisalpine  Republic  has  the  frontier  of  the  Adige,  Mantua, 
Peschiera,  and  their  citadels. 

Genoa  has  the  imperial  fiefs. 

The  Emperor  has  Istria,  Dalmatia,  and  the  town  of  Venice. 

You  may  publish  the  fact  of  peace,  but  conceal  the  conditions. 

[56.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Dec.  14,*  1797. 

I  joined  in  your  indignation,  Citizen  Ambassador,  when  you 
informed  me  of  the  arrival  of  General  Provera. 

You  may  declare  positively  to  the  Court  of  Rome  that,  if  the 
Pope  receives  in  his  service  any  officer  known  to  have  been  in  the 
service  of  the  Emperor,  all  good  understanding  ceases  between 
France  and  Rome.  We  shall  take  it  as  a  declaration  of  war. 

You  will  let  the  Pope  know,  by  a  special  note  addressed  to 
him  personally,  that,  although  we  are  at  peace  with  the  Emperor, 

*  This  must  be  a  misprint.  Napoleon  returned  to  Paris  on  the  5th  of 
December,  1797.— TK. 


46  ROMAN  AFFAIKS.  CHAP.  II. 

the  French.  Republic  will  not  allow  the  Pope  to  receive  among 
his  troops  any  officer  or  agent  belonging  to  the  Emperor,  of  any 
denomination,  except  the  usual  diplomatic  agents. 

You  will  require  the  departure  of  M.  Provera  from  the 
Roman  territory  within  twenty-four  hours ;  in  default  whereof 
you  will  declare  that  you  quit  Rome. 

In  your  conversation  with  the  Pope  you  will  let  him  know 
that  I  have  just  sent  3000  more  men  to  Ancona,  who  will  not 
turn  back  until  you  send  them  word  that  M.  Provera  and  all 
the  other  [Austrian]  officers  have  quitted  the  territory  of  his 
Holiness. 

You  will  make  known  to  the  Secretary  of  State  that,  if  his 
Holiness  attempt  to  execute  any  of  the  prisoners  whom  you  have 
demanded,  the  French  Republic  will  retaliate  by  arresting  all  the 
relations  of  Cardinal  Rusca,  and  of  the  other  cardinals  who  mis 
lead  the  Roman  Court. 

Let  the  style  of  your  notes  be  concise  and  firm.  If  necessary, 
leave  Rome  and  go  to  Florence  or  to  Ancona. 

You  will  not  fail  to  let  both  his  Holiness  and  the  Secretary 
of  State  understand  that,  as  you  cross  the  Roman  frontier,  you 
will  declare  the  annexation  of  Ancona  to  the  Cisalpine  Republic. 
This,  of  course,  is  to  be  spoken,  not  to  be  written. 


[  57.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Head-quarters,  Toulon,  May  4, 1798. 

The  courier  who  takes  this  letter  will  leave  Paris  on  the  9th, 
in  order  to  inform  me  who  is  the  retiring  director.  Pray  write 
by  him,  and  send  me  the  newspapers  from  the  time  of  my  depar 
ture. 

I  have  desired  all  my  couriers  to  call  on  you.  Send  them  all 
to  me  at  Toulon,  particularly  Moustache  and  Le  Simple. 

[58.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Head- quarters,  on  board  TOrient,  Toulon  Koacls,  May  19,1798. 

We  are  just  setting  sail.  I  shall  not  touch  at  Ajaccio.  If 
Lucien  is  not  elected  deputy,  he  may  come  hither.  He  will 
always  find  here  opportunities.  A  frigate  sails  in  a  fortnight. 


MAT,  1793.  PUECHASE  OF  ESTATES.  47 

I  Lope  that  you  have  bought  Rise.  I  should  like  you  to  add 
to  it  one  of  the  two  estates  near  Roche,  in  Berry,  which  you  pro 
posed  to  me,  and  which  I  saw  on  my  road,  of  the  probable  value 
of  300,000  or  400,000  francs.  I  should  prefer  that  of  M.  de 
Montigny,  which  I  looked  at  four  years  ago  for  you.  Inquire  if 
the  title  is  safe,  and  write  to  Junot's  father  about  one  or  the 
other.  One  of  these,  with  Rise,  will  do. 


[59.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Head-quarters,  on  board  1'Orient,  May  25, 1798. 

We  have  joined  the  convoy  from  Genoa.  We  have  had  good 
and  bad  weather  and  calms.  We  are  going  on  steadily  for  Elba. 

This  evening  we  pass  Bastia.  I  was  not  sick  on  the  open 
sea. 

Pray  tell  me  about  my  affairs.  I  sent  to  you  instructions 
from  Toulon.  Your  part  of  our  arrangement  goes  on  well. 

P.S.  My  wife  will  wait  in  Toulon  till  she  hears  that  we  have 
passed  Sicily ;  then  she  goes  to  a  watering-place. 


[  60.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Head-quarters,  on  board  1'Orient,  May  25, 1798. 

The  convoy  from  Civita  Yecchia  is  joining  us.  That  from 
Ajaccio  joined  us  yesterday.  We  are  in  full  sail  for  our  destina 
tion.  I  am  well.  All  goes  on  well  here.  I  am  anxious  to  hear 
that  you  have  settled  my  little  affairs  about  Rise  and  in  Bur 
gundy  . 

[61.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Head-quarters,  Malta,  May  29, 1798. 

General  Baraguay  d'Hilliers  is  going  to  Paris.  He  was  un 
well.  I  use  him  to  carry  parcels  and  flags.  I  hear  nothing  from 
you  about  Rise  or  Burgundy.  I  write  to  my  wife  to  come  out  to 
me.  Be  kind  to  her  if  she  is  near  you.  My  health  is  good. 
Malta  cost  us  a  cannonade  of  two  days  :  it  is  the  strongest  place 


48  JOSEPHINE.  CHAP.  IL 

in  Europe.     I  leave  Yaubois  there.     I  did  not  touch  Corsica.     I 
have  had  no  French  news  for  a  month. 
We  write  by  a  ship  of  war. 


[62.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Cairo  (no  date). 

M.  Calmebet  has  100,000  francs  in  my  name  in  the  Mont  de 
Piete.  Tell  him  to  re-invest  the  interest,  and  to  spend  as  little 
as  possible. 

As  for  my  own  plans,  I  wait  for  news  from  Constantinople 
and  from  France.  If  the  Congress  of  Radstadt  does  not  end,  if 
the  Irish  are  beaten,  we  ought  to  make  peace,  and  to  use  Egypt 
to  obtain  a  brilliant  and  permanent  one.  Be  kind  to  my  wife ; 
see  her  sometimes.  I  beg  Louis  to  give  her  good  advice.  I  have 
received  from  you  only  one  letter  by  Le  Simple.  I  hope  that 
Desiree,  if  she  marries  Bernadotte,  will  be  happy ;  she  deserves 
it.  A  thousand  kisses  to  your  wife  and  to  Lucien ;  I  send  to  her 
a  handsome  shawl.  She  is  an  excellent  woman :  make  her  happy. 


[63.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Cairo,  July  25, 179S. 

You  will  see  in  the  newspapers  the  result  of  our  battles  and 
the  conquest  of \Egypt,  where  we  found  resistance  enough  to  add 
a  leaf  to  the  laurels  of  this  army.  Egypt  is  the  richest  country 
in  the  world  for  wheat,  rice,  pulse,  and  meal.  Nothing  can  be 
more  barbarous.  There  is  no  money,  even  to  pay  the  troops.  I 
may  be  in  France  in  two  months.  I  recommend  my  interests  to 
you.  I  have  much  domestic  distress.  Your  friendship  is  very 
dear  to  me.  To  become  a  misanthropist  I  have  only  to  lose  it, 
and  find  that  you  betray  me.  That  every  different  feeling  to 
wards  the  same  person  should  be  united  in  one  heart  is  very 
painful.* 

*  The  suspicions  of  Josephine's  honor,  hinted  at  in  this  remarkable  letter, 
disturbed  Napoleon  during  the  whole  of  his  Egyptian  campaign.  Bourrienne 
describes  his  distress  and  his  plans  of  divorce  six  months  afterwards,  in  conse- 


JULY,  1798.  ENNUI  OF  NAPOLEON.  49 

Let  me  have  on  my  arrival  a  villa  near  Paris  or  in  Burgundy. 
I  intend  to  shut  myself  up  there  for  the  winter.  I  am  tired  of 
human  nature.  I  want  solitude  and  isolation.  Greatness  fatigues 
me ;  feeling  is  dried  up.  At  29  glory  has  become  flat.  I  have 
exhausted  everything.  I  have  no  refuge  but  pure  selfishness.  I 
shall  retain  my  house,  and  let  no  one  else  occupy  it.  I  have  not 
more  than  enough  to  live  on.  Adieu,  my  only  friend.  I  have 
never  been  unjust  to  you,  as  you  must  admit,  though  I  may  have 
wished  to  be  so.  You  understand  me.  Love  to  your  wife  and  to 
Jerome. 

% 

quence  of  some  information  from  Junot.1  And  on  his  return  to  Paris  on  the 
16th  October,  1799,  he  refused  to  see  his  wife  for  three  days,  and  consented  to 
a  reconciliation  only  in  consequence  of  Bourrienne's  representations  that  a  con 
jugal  quarrel  might  interfere  with  the  ambitious  plans  which  he  was  then 
meditating,  and  which  he  executed  about  three  weeks  later. — TR.2 

i  Bourrienne,  tome  ii.  chap.  xiv.  <t  Ibid.,  tome  iii.  Chap.  iv. 


50  MADAME  DE  STAEL.  CHAP.  III. 


CHAPTEK    III. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  belong  to  the  period  of  the 
Consulate.  The  first  of  them  was  written  about  three  months 
before  the  battle  of  Marengo. 


[  64.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH, 

March  19,  1800. 

M.  de  Stael  is  in  the  deepest  poverty,  and  his  wife  gives  din 
ners  and  balls.  If  you  still  visit  her,  would  it  not  be  well  to 
persuade  her  to  make  her  husband  an  allowance  of  from  1000  to 
2000  francs  a-month  ?  Or  have  we  already  reached  the  time 
when  not  only  decency,  but  duties  even  more  sacred  than  those 
which  unite  parents  and  children,  may  be  trampled  under  foot 
without  the  world's  being  scandalized  ?  Let  us  give  Madame  de 
Stael  the  benefit  of  judging  her  morals  as  if  she  were  a  man ;  but 
would  a  man  who  had  inherited  M.  Necker's  fortune,  and  who 
had  long  enjoyed  the  privileges  attached  to  a  distinguished  name, 
and  who  allowed  his  wife  to  remain  in  abject  poverty  whilst  he 
lived  in  luxury, — would  such  a  man  be  received  in  society  ? 


[65.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Aosta,  March  28,  1800.* 

Pray  give  30,000  francs  to  my  wife.  The  principal  obstacles 
are  overcome ;  we  have  taken  Ivrea  and  its  citadel,  in  which  we 

*  This  date  is  erroneous.  May  ought  to  be  substituted  for  March.  Bona 
parte  left  Paris  on  the  6th  of  May,  1800,  and  crossed  the  Great  St.  Bernard  on 
the  20th.  Ivrea  was  taken  on  the  22nd.  The  battle  of  Marengo  was  fought 
on  the  14th  of  June. — TR. 


DBO.  1800.  TREATY  OF  LUNiVILLE.  51 

found  10  guns.  We  fall  down  upon  them  here  like  a  thunderbolt ; 
the  enemy  did  not  in  the  least  expect  us,  and  even  now  can  hardly 
believe  that  we  are  here. 

Very  great  events  will  soon  take  place,  which  will,  I  trust, 
have  great  results  for  the  glory  and  the  happiness  of  the  HP 
public. 

A  thousand  remembrances  to  Julie. 


[66.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Dec.  2, 1800. 

Lucien  has  reached  Spain.  Jerome  is  on  his  way  to  Brest, 
on  board  the  Admiral's  ship,  with  Rear- Admiral  Gantheaurne. 
Louis  has  left  Berlin  for  Dresden.  He  is  to  go  to  Denmark.  It 
is  proper  that  your  official  despatches  should  be  addressed  to  the 
minister,  and  taken  directly  to  him  by  the  courier.  That  need 
not  prevent  your  writing  to  me  a  short  note  whenever  you  think 
it  worth  while.* 

I  hear  from  Moreau  that  the  Austrians  have  asked  for  two 
passports  to  send  two  couriers  to  Cobentzel ;  it  is  pro.bable  that 
by  this  time  he  has  received  two  couriers  from  Vienna.  I  wait 
for  news  of  them  before  I  decide  on  setting  out.f  It  would  per 
haps  be  useful  to  say,  in  the  course  of  conversation,  that,  when 
once  I  shall  have  left  Paris  and  commenced  military  operations, 
it  is  very  probable  that  the  project  of  indemnifying  the  House 
of  Austria  in  Italy  will  be  abandoned.  You  may  add  that  as 
soon  as  I  am  in  Italy  the  negotiations  will  naturally  be  on  the 
spot  where  I  am. 

As  for  the  English,  they  themselves  have  broken  off  every  thing. 
We  can  no  longer  admit  them  at  Luneville,  particularly,  as  we 
also  have  engagements  to  fulfil,  and  cannot  treat  until  they  have 
acknowledged  the  freedom  of  the  seas. 

Try  to  let  this  courier  be  back  in  Paris  by  the  16th.     Austria 

*  Joseph  was"  at  Luneville,  negotiating  with  the  Count  de  Cobentzel.  The 
battle  of  Hohenlinden,  which  decided  the  war,  was  fought  on  the  3rd  of 
December,  1800. — TR. 

t  To  take  himself  the  command  in  the  field. — TR. 


LETTER  FKOM  PAUL  CHAP.  IIL 

shall  recollect  my  departure  if  it  takes  place.  You  must  there 
fore  send  me  word  by  your  courier  if  all  hope  is  lost,  as  I  am  in 
clined  by  Pitt's  speech  in  the  English  parliament  to  believe. 


[  67.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  12, 1801. 

I  send  to  you,  Citizen  Minister,  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  General 
Brune,  which  will  be  in  the  '  Moniteur '  to-morrow. 

It  is  probable  that,  if  Mantua  is  not  given  up  to  the  French 
army,  General  Brune  will  be  in  Venice  in  a  few  days,  and  the 
Austrians  behind  the  Tagliamento.  Make  M.  de  Cobentzel  under 
stand  that  we  shall  then  have  to  think  for  ourselves ;  he  changes 
his  mind  every  day ;  it  is  a  contemptible  mode  of  negotiating. 
If  the  Adige  be  the  boundary,  half  of  Verona  will  belong  to  the 
Cisalpine  Republic,  and  the  other  half  to  Austria.  The  same 
thing  with  respect  to  Porto  Legnano.  Insert  in  one  of  the  proto 
cols  a  declaration*  by  you  that,  if  we  enter  Venice,  nothing  on 
this  side  of  the  Brenta  will  belong  to  the  Emperor.* 


[  68.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  20, 1S01. 

By  this  time  you  must  have  received,  Citizen  Minister,  the 
instructions  sent  from  Paris  on  the  29th  Nivose  [19th  January]. 
A  courier  arrived  yesterday  from  Russia,  who  had  made  the  jour 
ney  in  fifteen  days :  he  brought  me  an  extremely  friendly  auto 
graph  letter  from  Paul  I.  This  courier  met,  at  ten  leagues  from 
St.  Petersburg,  an  officer,  sent  by  M.  Sprengthorten,f  bearing  a 
letter  from  me  to  the  Emperor  in  nearly  the  same  terms. 

I  expect  a  Russian  plenipotentiary  in  four  or  five  days. 

The  dispositions  of  Russia  towards  England  are  very  hostile. 
You  will  easily  understand  that  our  interest  is  to  be  in  no  hurry, 
for  peace  with  the  Emperor  is  of  no  importance  compared  with 

*  Vous  n'aurez  desormais  h  PEmpereur  que  la  Brenta.  I  suspect  this 
passage  to  be  corrupt. — Tit. 

t  The  Russian  Minister  in' Paris. — TR. 


JAN.  1801.  TREATY  OF  LUN^YILLE.  53 

an  alliance  which  would  overpower  England,  and  preserve  Egypt 
to  us, 

The  armistice  with  Austria  in  Italy  is  not  yet  concluded. 
You  ought  incessantly  to  complain  of  this.  If  Austria  is  sincere 
in  her  proposal  to  give  up  the  whole  right  bank  of  the  Adige, 
why  does  she  not  accept  the  armistice,  of  which  the  condition  is 
her  giving  up  merely  the  fortified  places  on  that  bank  ? 

Tuscany  should  adopt  as  the  first  principle  of  her  policy  that 
the  Emperor  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  pass  the  Adige.  If, 
however,  the  course  of  events  were  such  as  to  lead  to  the  restora 
tion  of  the  Grand  Duke,  we  certainly  could  not  consent  to  it  as 
long  as  we  are  at  war  with  England,  for  as  long  as  that  war  lasts 
we  must  always  distrust  Austria,  we  must  always  keep  a  large 
army  in  Italy,  and,  in  order  to  exclude,  as  we  must,  the  English 
from  Leghorn  and  the  coast  of  Tuscany,  we  must  retain  posses 
sion  of  the  country. 

You  ought  never  to  speak  of  Naples  or  of  the  Pope.  When 
ever  they  are  mentioned,  you  should  say,  "  Have  you  any  powers 
from  those  princes  ?  "  "  France  will  negotiate  with  them  directly." 

Whenever  the  King  of  Sardinia  is  spoken  of,  you  should  say 
only  that,  if  we  removed  him  for  having  fought  for  the  Emperor, 
the  Emperor  ought  to  have  restored  him ;  that,  at  all  events,  we 
shall  come  to  an  understanding  with  him,  and  so  arrange  matters 
in  Italy  as  to  prevent  his  alarming  his  neighbours,  and  to  make 
the  general  tranquillity  rest  on  a  secure  foundation.  With  respect 
to  the  stipulations  which  M.  de  Cobentzel  may  wish  to  make  re 
specting  the  Empire,  you  must  promise  nothing  in  our  name.  Our 
conduct  will  depend  on  circumstances,  and  on  the  individuals  in 
power  at  Vienna ;  say  that  we  have  no  confidence  in  Thugut,  and 
that  we  can  enter  into  no  engagement  with  the  Emperor  as  long 
as  the  council  is  influenced  by  that  minister. 

Besides  it  is  dinicult  to  negotiate  respecting  Germany  without 
the  co-operation  of  Paul  I. 

Tc  resume. 

1.  Keep  open  the  protocol,  discuss  all  the  questions  thoroughly, 
even  the  terms  of  the  definitive  treaty ;  but  sign  nothing  for  ten 
days,  when  we  shall  have  settled  with  Paul  I. 


54  TEEATY  OF  LUNfiVILLE.  CHAP.  III. 

2.  In  the  interval,  try  to  persuade  them  to  find  a  place  for 
the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  in  Germany. 

3.  Do  not  mention  the  King  of  Naples,  the  Pope,  or  the  King 
of  Sardinia.     If  the  Austrian  plenipotentiary  gave  up  Tuscany, 
it  might  be  stipulated  that  an  Infant  of  Spain  should  be  placed 
on  that  throne ;  in  which  case  France  and  Spain  would  jointly 
engage  to  obtain  for  the  Grand  Duke  a  proportionate  indemnity 
in  Germany. 

4.  Say  nothing  about  the  Cisalpine  Kepublic  but  that  a  form 
of  government  shall  be  established  there  which  will  not  cause  any 
alarm  to  the  neighbouring  states. 

5.  Make  no  engagements  for  us  as  to  Germany,  except  with 
respect  to  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany ;  say  that  the  other  mat 
ters  shall  be  settled  when  peace  is  concluded  with  the  Empire. 

(?.  Make  no  mention  in  the  treaty  of  the  details  of  its  execu 
tion.     Leave  them  to  be  the  subject  of  a  separate  convention. 

7.  Do  not  let  us  agree  to  evacuate  the  countries  beyond  the 
Inn  and  the  Adige  a  moment  before  it  is  necessary,  and  insist  on 
the  payment  of  the  contributions  which  have  been  imposed. 

8.  As  for  the  evacuation  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine,  it 
cannot  take  place  till  peace  with  the  Empire  is  made. 

9.  With  regard  to  Switzerland,  her  independence  and  neutral 
ity  may  be  stipulated.     You  ought  to  send  two  couriers  every 
day.     The  affairs  of  Europe  are  in  a  crisis ;  the  old  system  is 
changed,  and  the  new  one  not  yet  settled. 


[69.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  13, 1801. 

Citizen  Minister, — This  morning  the  treaty  of  Luneville  was 
published.  It  has  perfectly  fulfilled  the  expectations  of  the  Gov 
ernment. 

Citizen  Talleyrand  writes  to  authorise  your  return  to  Paris.  I 
shall  not  write  to  M.  de  Cobentzel.  I  can  treat  him  only  as  an 
ordinary  minister.  In  the  beginning  of  this  negotiation  his  con 
duct  was  unworthy  of  his  character.  He  will,  however,  be  well 
received  here,  and  there  is  no  objection  to  his  coming.  In  this 


JTTLY,  1801.  DEATH  OF  PAUL  I.  55 

case  it  would  be  unwise,  and  it  would  appear  improper,  if  you 
were  as  intimate  with  him  as  you  were  at  his  first  visit.  We  did 
as  much  for  him  on  that  occasion  as  we  are  doing  at  present  for 
M.  Katilschen,*  because  we  thought  that  he  came  to  remove 
every  obstacle,  and  to  make  peace,  instead  of  endeavouring  as  he 
did  to  gain  time,  and  making  use  of  the  extraordinary  confidence 
which  I  placed  in  him  to  advance  the  success  of  M.  Thugut's 
system.  You  may,  however,  tell  him  that  if  he  had  not  had  the 
good  sense  to  remain  at  Luneville  we  should  have  imposed  harder 
conditions  upon  Austria. 

I  have  but  one  word  more  to  say :  The  nation  is  satisfied 
ivith  the  treaty,  and  I  am  extremely  pleased  ivith  it. 


[70.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  April  11, 1801. 

The  Emperor  of  Russia  died  on  the  night  of  the  24th  of 
March,  of  a  stroke  of  apoplexy.  I  am  so  deeply  afflicted  by  the 
death  of  a  prince  whom  I  highly  esteemed,  that  I  can  enter  into 
no  more  details.  He  is  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  who  has  re 
ceived  the  oaths  of  the  army  and  of  the  capital. 


[71.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

July  10, 1801. 

It  seems  to  me  necessary  that  you  should  come  to  an  under 
standing  with  Cardinal  Gronsalvi  respecting  the  bishops  who  have 
sworn  to  the  Constitution.  He  appears  to  think  that  the  Con 
cordat  does  not  oblige  the  Pope  to  address  to  them  a  brief  com 
manding  them  to  resign  their  sees,f  and  he  requires  them  to  retract 
before  they  can  receive  dioceses.  This  would  dishonour  them, 

*  The  Russian  Envoy. — TR. 

f  Joseph  was  now  charged  with  the  negotiation  of  the  Concordat  with 
Rome.  Napoleon,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  a  new  hierarchy,  proposed 
that  all  the  bishops  should  resign,  and  that  a  proportion  of  them  should  he  re- 
appointed.  It  appears  that  the  Pope  thought  the  resignation  of  the  bishops  in 
question  unnecessary,  on  the  ground  that  by  swearing  to  the  constitution  they 
had  forfeited  their  sees. 


56  CONCORDAT.  CIIAP.  IIL 

and  would  compromise  the  temporal  power  which,  from  the  time 
of  the  Constituent  Assembly,  has  supported  this  portion  of  the 
clergy. 

This  is  important. 

[72.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  July  19, 1801. 

I  desire  you,  citizen,  to  continue  your  conferences  with  Cardi 
nal  Gonsalvi  and  your  other  colleagues. 

1.  To  come   to  an   agreement  respecting  the  constitutional 
bishops,  and  to  render  them  as  eligible  as  the  bishops  who  have 
not  sworn  to  the  Constitution. 

2.  To  determine  the  terms  of  the  bull. 

I  should  like  the  bull  to  be  published  in  France  as  soon  as 
possible,  in  order  that  I  may  immediately  nominate  the  arch 
bishops  and  bishops.  I  wish  the  bull  to  be  published  in  Paris  on 
the  15th  of  August.  All  my  nominations  will  be  made  by  that 
time,  so  that  the  new  diocesans  may  enter  upon  their  duties  in  the 
first  days  of  Fructidor  [end  of  August].  Make  it  felt  that  I 
attach  great  importance  to  this  business  being  settled  by  the  month 
of  Frimaire  [November-December],  when  the  legislative  body  is 
to  meet,  and  the  debates  will  begin. 

It  would  be  as  well  to  put  all  these  matters  into  a  protocol. 


[  73.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Dec.  29, 1801. 

It  is  settled  that  Louis  and  Hortense  are  to  be  married  on 
the  14th  ;  they  are  to  live  in  my  house  in  the  Rue  de  la  Victoire. 
I  shall  probably  set  off  for  Lyons  in  the  course  of  the  next  ten 
days.  The  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs  went  on  the  2d,  and  the 
Minister  of  the  Interior  will  go  on  the  1 1th.* 

Four  hundred  and  fifty  deputies  from  the  Cisalpine  Republic 

*  Joseph  was  at  this  time  negotiating  the  Treaty  of  Amiens.  The  objects 
of  Napoleon's  visit  to  Lyons  were  to  arrange  the  details  of  the  Constitution  of 
the  Cisalpine  Republic,  and  to  be  received  as  its  President. — TR. 


FEB.  1802.  TREATY  OF  AMIENS.  57 

reached  Lyons  a  fortnight  ago,  and  by  this  time  they  must  have 
met  in  council. 

I  hope  that  before  I  go  you  will  let  me  hear  three  or  four 
times  from  Amiens,  and  tell  me  for  certain  the  day  on  which  the 
definitive  treaty  is  to  be  signed.  It  appears  to  me  that  there  is 
no  longer  any  serious  obstacle. 


[  74.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  6, 1802. 

I  am  to  set  off  to-morrow  at  midnight  for  Lyons.  I  shall 
stay  there  only  eleven  or  twelve  days. 

I  believe  that  General  Bernadotte  has  gone  to  Amiens. 
Whether  he  be  there  or  not,  I  wish  him  to  let  you  know  if  he 
would  like  to  go  to  Gaudaloupe  as  Captain-General.  The  island 
is  in  a  high  state  of  prosperity  and  of  cultivation  ;  but  Lacrosse 
made  himself  unpopular ;  and  as  he  had  only  500  whites  in  his 
service,  he  was  driven  out,  and  a  mulatto  has  set  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  colony.  The  peace  with  England  was  not  then  ex 
pected.  Three  ships,  four  frigates,  and  3000  good  infantry,  have 
been  sent  to  disarm  the  blacks,  and  to  maintain  tranquillity.  It 
is  an  agreeable  and  important  mission  in  every  respect.  Some 
reputation  is  to  be  gained,  and  a  great  service  done  to  the  re 
public,  by  tranquillising  for  ever  this  colony.  From  thence  he 
may  perhaps  go  to  take  possession  of  Louisiana,  and  even  of 
Martinique  and  of  St.  Lucia. 

If  this  tempts  Bernadotte's  ambition,  as  it  appears  to  do,  you 
must  immediately  let  me  know ;  for  the  expedition  will  set  off  in 
the  month  of  Pluviose  [January-February],  and  missions  to  the 
colonies  are  desired  by  the  most  distinguished  generals.  I  shall 
wait  for  the  courier's  return  before  I  appoint  to  this  post. 


[  75.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  1, 1802. 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  12th  Pluviose.  Matters 
appear  to  be  advancing  at  Amiens.  A  week  sooner  or  later 
will  make  no  difference. 


58  TREATY  OF  AMIENS.  CHAP.  III. 

The  affairs  of  the  Cisalpine  Republic  appear  to  have  given 
general  satisfaction.  I  beg  you  to  speak  to  Lord  Cornwallis 
about  the  infamous  pamphlet  which  I  enclose.  Impress  upon 
him  how  little  it  suits  the  dignity  of  either  country  to  allow  such 
nonsense  to  be  published  in  London  by  an  emigrant,  at  a  time 
when  I  am  particularly  anxious  to  put  an  end  to  all  that  can  ex 
cite  complaint  from  England. 

Tell  Lord  Cornwallis  that  he  ought  not  to  trust  to  Mr.  Jack 
son  ;  he  lives  in  bad,  society,  and  gets  his  information  from 
swindlers,  whose  only  object  is  money.  What  Lord  Cornwallis 
has  already  heard  from  Mr.  Jackson  ought  to  be  a  sufficient  proof 
of  this. 

Sebastiani  has  returned  from  Constantinople.  The  Grand 
Seignior  has  written  to  me  a  most  satisfactory  letter. 


[  76.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  7, 1802. 

Your  dispatch  of  the  16th  Ventose  [6th  March]  has  just  ar 
rived.  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  now  much  difference  between 
the  different  proposals.  The  last  wording  of  the  English  propo 
sal  respecting  Malta  is  not  far  from  ours.  It  is  easy  to  find  a 
middle  course  with  regard  to  the  matter  of  the  prisoners.  I  do 
not  see  what  there  is  to  prevent  the  immediate  conclusion  of  the 
treaty.  If  Lord  Cornwallis  means  what  he  says,  peace  ought  to 
be  signed  by  noon  on  the  12th.  If  this  is  not  done,  it  will  be 
evident  that  some  change  has  taken  place  in  the  plans  of  the 
British  Cabinet,  and  this,  in  the  present  state  of  Europe,  would 
be  madness.  At  any  rate  I  expect  my  courier  to  return  with 
accurate  information  by  noon  on  the  19th  instant.  I  have  yielded 
to  all  the  demands  of  England ;  if  peace  is  not  made  immediately, 
I  do  not  fear  war.  Express  yourself  strongly  on  this  subject,  and 
let  me  know  by  noon  on  the  19th  what  I  am  to  expect ;  for  as  it 
seems  that  the  English  are  arming  at  Plymouth,  I  must  look  to 
the  safety  of  our  fleet.  As  for  the  Turkish  Ambassador,  it  is 
impossible  to  discuss  again  a  matter  on  which  our  decision  has 
been  often  repeated.  Our  peace  with  Turkey  shall  not  be  made 


MARCH,  1802.  TREATY  OF  AMIEN3.  59 

at  Amiens,  but  this  is  no  objection  to  the  article  which  guarantees 
the  integrity  of  the  Ottoman  empire. 


[  77.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  8, 1802. 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  18th.  I  adopt,  though 
against  my  will,  this  formula :  "  The  Sublime  Porte  is  Invited  to 
accede  to  this  treaty."  I  do  not,  however,  give  up  my  intention 
of  making  a  separate  treaty  with  the  Porte,  for  the  present  one 
does  not  settle  all  our  differences.  As  I  have  not  at  this  instant 
the  draft  before  me,  I  do  not  know  if  it  contain  an  article 
guaranteeing  the  integrity  of  Turkey.  I  think  that  such  a  clause 
must  be  inserted.  For  the  rest,  I  give  you  all  the  latitude  neces 
sary  to  enable  you  to  sign  in  the  evening.  When  this  courier  ar 
rives,  you  will  be  in  conference.  I  do  not  think  that  he  will  be 
able  to  reach  you  before  9  o'clock. 

I  am  of  your  opinion  that  it  is  extremely  important  not  to  lose 
another  minute.  Do  all  in  your  power,  therefore,  to  finish  and  to 
sign. 

You  will  let  me  know  in  your  answer  if  the  courier  arrived 
before  9  o'clock,  as  I  have  promised  him  in  that  case  600  francs. 

I  expect  my  courier  to-morrow  before  12. 


[  78.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malmaison,  March  10, 1802. 

It  is  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  courier  is  not  yet  ar 
rived  whom  you  promised  to  despatch  after  your  conference 
yesterday  morning,  and  whom  I  expected  at  midnight.  Yet 
Otto's  despatches  and  all  the  letters  from  England  confirm  the 
report  that  she  is  making  considerable  armaments,  and  that 
squadron  after  squadron  is  being  sent  off.  Lord  llawkesbury 
told  Otto  that  Cornwallis  had  received  his  last  instructions. 
The  differences  at  Amiens  were  not  worth  making  such  a  noise 
about.  A  letter  from  Amiens,  I  suppose  by  Mr.  Merry,  caused 
the  alarm  in  London,  by  asserting  that  I  did  not  wish  for  peace. 
Under  these  circumstances,  delay  will  do  real  mischief,  and  may 


(JQ  DOUBTS  CONCERNING  ENGLAND.  CHAP.  Ill 

be  of  great  consequence  to  our  squadrons  and  our  expeditions 
Have  the  kindness,  therefore,  to  send  special  couriers  to  inform 
me  of  what  you  are  doing,  and  of  what  you  hear ;  for  it  is  clear 
to  me  that,  if  the  peace  is  not  already  signed  or  agreed  on,  there 
is  a  change  of  plans  in  London. 

However  that  may  be,  go  on  with  your  negotiation ;  be  satis 
fied  with  inserting  in  the  protocols,  notes  to  show  plainly  that  it 
is  England  that  does  not  wish  for  peace,  or  delays  it. 


[  79.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malrnaison,  March  11,  1802. 

Your  letter  of  the  10th  March  has  reached  me,  and  I  see  that, 
although  you  are  agreed,  you  have  not  yet  signed.  This  delay  is 
really  strange.  Yet  it  is  certain  that  Lord  Cornwallis  had  re 
ceived  his  final  instructions,  and  had  only  to  sign.  Moustache, 
whom  I  am  expecting  this  afternoon,  will  doubtless  clear  up  some 
of  this  mystery. 

I  will  not,  on  any  pretext,  have  the  name  of  Genoa  substi 
tuted  for  that  of  Liguria.  I  would  rather  not  have  it  men 
tioned.  Neither  will  I  evacuate  Otranto  before  the  English 
evacuate  Malta.  The  middle  course  is  not  to  speak  of  it.  That 
could  not  have  been  done  if  they  were  to  keep  Malta  for  six  or 
eight  months ;  but  now  that  all  must  be  evacuated  in  the  course 
of  three  months,  it  is  useless  to  mention  it. 


[  80.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  11, 1802. 

Moustache  has  just  arrived.  I  have  already  sent  you  word 
by  the  courier,  who  started  three  hours  ago,  that  I  attach  no  im 
portance  to  the  acknowledgment  of  Liguria.  Nor  is  the  secret 
article  relating  to  Naples  of  any  value,  as  it  has  no  substantial 
object ;  for  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  evacuate  Taranto  with 
the  artillery,  &c.,  for  the  next  three  months,  however  much  I 
might  wish  it.  These  articles  are  therefore  quite  useless. 


MABOH,  1802.  TREATY  OP  AMIENS.  (Jl 

I  see,  then,  no  obstacle  to  peace.  You  must  only  take  care 
to  word  the  article  on  prisoners  so  as  not  to  excuse  Portugal  from 
what  she  is  bound  by  the  secret  articles  of  her  tre~aty  to  pay  to 
us.  This  is  for  your  private  information,  for  you  ought  not  to 
say  a  word  about  it,  as  England  has  never  mentioned  it. 

You  may  tell  Lord  Cornwallis  openly  that  the  King  of 
Prussia  has  recognised  the  Italian  Republic,  and  has  congratu 
lated  me,  through  his  ambassador,  on  the  result  of  the  Congress 
of  Lyons : 

That  on  the  evening  of  the  17th  M.  Cobentzel  received  a 
courier  from  Vienna;  he  came  in  person  to  notify  to  me  that 
the  Emperor  was  rejoiced  to  see  the  Italian  Republic  delivered 
from  the  horrors  of  anarchy,  and  was  ready  to  receive  the  Italian 
ambassador  whom  I  might  think  fit  to  send  to  him : 

That  all  the  sovereigns  of  Italy  have  recognised  the  Italian 
Republic. 

Lastly,  That  the  courier  whom  M.  Markoff  despatched  to  St. 
Petersburgh  with  news  of  the  Congress  of  Lyons  has  returned, 
and  that  the  Emperor  Alexander  is  more  inclined  than  ever  to 
join  with  France  in  all  the  important  affairs  of  Europe. 

You  will  also  make  Lord  Cornwallis  aware  that  I  am  not 
duped  by  the  hostile  demonstrations  in  London ;  that  they  are 
not  an  European  intrigue,  but  mere  cabinet  intrigues  to  procure 
a  change  of  ministry;  and  that  I  shall  pity  England  if  such 
miserable  manoeuvres  should  revive  the  war.  Say  also  that  I 
am  perfectly  convinced  that,  in  the  present  state  of  Europe, 
England  cannot  with  any  reasonable  hopes  be  the  only  power  at 
war  with  us. 

If  you  think  that  peace  will  be  signed  in  twenty-four  hours, 
keep  Moustache,  and  send  him  on  to  London  to  announce  it  to 
Otto. 

[81.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  11, 1802. 

It  is  9  o'clock;  a  telegraphic  despatch  from  Brest,  sent  on 
the  evening  of  the  2 1st,  informs  me  that  our  squadron  reached 


62  TEEATY  OF  AMIENS.  CHAP.  Ill 

the  Cape*  on  the  5th  of  February;  that  our  troops  had  disem 
barked  ;  and  that  the  Cape  and  the  fine  northern  plain  were  oc 
cupied  by  our  soldiers.  I  give  you  the  earliest  intelligence,  that 
you  may  make  use  of  it.  I  shall  not  have  the  details  for  three 
days,  when  I  expect  the  courier,  but  I  thought  it  not  unim 
portant  that  you  should  be  immediately  aware  that  all  our  troops 
have  landed;  the  army  and  the  fleet  occupy  a  safe  position 
whatever  may  happen. 


[  82.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  21, 1802. 

Your  last  letter  has  been  shown  to  me.  I  approve  of  your 
conduct,  and  especially  of  your  reserve. 

It  seems  that  to-day  we  are  again  approaching  an  agreement. 
As  to  the  prisoners,  Otto  tells  me  that  the  English  ministers 
admit  that  France  should  be  allowed  in  account  what  the  prison 
ers  taken  from  the  allies  of  England  have  cost  her.  This  seems 
right. 

With  regard  to  Malta,  there  can  be  no  harm  in  declariDg, 
since  it  is  a  fact,  that  the  post  of  Grand  Master  is  vacant ;  as  one 
of  the  articles  provides  that  there  shall  be  no  longer  an  English 
or  a  French  nation,!  a  Frenchman  cannot  be  appointed.  This 
stipulation  has  been  made  chiefly  on  account  of  the  Bourbons, 
because  it  has  been  said  that  England  wished  to  appoint  a 
Bourbon  Grand  Master.  We  hold  that  the  French  emigrants 
are  not  eligible,  as  there  is  no  longer  a  French  nation,  and, 
although  the  emigrants  are  in  exile,  they  retain  their  nationality. 

The  words  "  forming  part  of  the  Neapolitan  army,"  which 
they  want  to  substitute  for  the  term  "  native,"  are  rather  im 
portant  if  their  secret  wish  is  to  introduce  French  emigrants  or 
Englishmen ;  if  this  be  not  the  motive  for  the  change  of  words, 
it  is  of  less  importance. 

*  In  Hayti. — TR. 

f  The  knights  were  divided  into  seven  Langues  or  nations. — TR. 


APEIL,  1802.  TEEATY  OF  AMIENS.  63 

What  relates  to  the  Prince  of  Orange  may  stand  if  the  words 
"  patrimonial  estates  "  are  added. 

What  is  very  important  is  that  no  mention  should  be  made 
of  nobility  as  regards  Malta ;  our  system  of  government  is  op 
posed  to  it.  It  would  be  absurd  if  we  were  made  to  say  that  a 
man  must  be  noble  in  order  to  enter  the  order  of  Malta :  the 
middle  course,  and  the  right  one,  is  not  to  allude  to  the  subject. 
This  matter  is  the  most  important  in  the  Maltese  questions. 

It  is  also  important  to  put  the  article  on  Turkey  last,  and  to 
cancel  the  words  "  allies  of  England ;  "  otherwise  you  would  like 
wise  have  to  insert  "  former  allies  of  France,  allies  of  Russia,  arid 
of  the  Emperor ;  "  but  the  better  plan  is  to  suppress  the  words 
"  allies  of  Great  Britain."  This  is  a  very  important  article,  be 
cause  these  words,  standing  alone,  would  give  to  England  a 
species  of  supremacy  which  would  not  suit  us. 

I  have  just  received  letters  from  St.  Domingo,  dated  the 
20th  February ;  they  contain  good  news.  Port  Republican  has 
been  taken,  with  all  its  forts,  without  burning  any  thing.  They 
have  taken  Toussaint's  military  chest;  it  contained  2,500,000 
francs.  The  Port  de  la  Paix  and  St.  Domingo  are  occupied. 
The  Spanish  party  has  submitted,  and  on  the  29th  General 
Leclerc  had  gone  to  attack  Toussaint,  who  held  out  with  7000  or 
8000  men. 

You  will  find  enclosed  a  letter  to  Jerome. 


[  83.]  NAPOLEOII  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  April  11, 1803. 

I  send  to  you,  Citizen  Joseph,  what  has  been  done  as  to  the 
courts  in  Corsica.  Just  as  it  was  going  off  I  have  been  in 
formed  that  some  of  the  names  are  ill-selected.  As  the  matter 
is  very  important,  I  request  you  to  consult  with  the  Cardinal  of 
Lyons,  and  other  persons  who  know  well  the  candidates,  and  to 
send  me  a  new  list,  altered  as  you  may  think  right,  ready  for  my 
signature. 


64  PAULINE'S  SECOND  MAEEIAGE.  CHAP.  Ill 

[84.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Camp,  Boulogne,  1S03. 

Paulette*  writes  to  me  that  her  marriage  has  been  made 
public,  and  that  she  starts  for  Rome  to-morrow.  You  or  mamma 
should  write  to  Borghese's  mother,  to  introduce  her.  Tell  her 
at  the  same  time  that  I  am  ready  to  take  among  my  aides-de 
camp  Borghese's  brother,  if  he  wishes  to  enter  the  army. 

*  Pauline  Bonaparte,  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  General  Leclen 
married  the  Prince  Borghese. — ED. 


SIFT.  1SOB.  ADVANCE  OF  THE  AKMY.  65 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  25th  of 
September  to  the  27th  of  December,  in  the  year  1805. 

The  last  letter  of  the  previous  chapter,  dated  in  the  beginning 
of  1803,  is  the  last  in  which  he  tutoyes  his  brother.  On  the  18th 
of  May,  1804,  he  was  proclaimed  Emperor. 

In  September,  1805,  he  left  Paris  to  begin  the  campaign 
which  was  ended  by  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  fought  on  the  2nd 
of  December,  and  the  peace  of  Presburg,  signed  on  the  27th  of 
December,  1805. 

During  Napoleon's  absence,  Joseph  was  his  representative. 


[85.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Strasbourg,  Sept.  25, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  have  reached  Strasbourg ;  all  the  army  has 
passed  the  Rhine.  The  enemy  occupies  the  oulets  of  the  Black 
Forest.  Our  manoeuvres  will  soon  begin.  Do  all  that  you  can 
to  urge  the  nation  as  regards  the  conscription.  I  am  satisfied 
with  the  departments  which  I  have  gone  through.  Whereupon 
I  pray  God  to  keep  you  in  his  holy  and  worthy  protection. 

[  86.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Strasbourg,  Sept  30, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  am  this  instant  starting  to  carry  my  head 
quarters  to  Louisbourg  on  the  Necker.  The  whole  army  has 


6Q  CAMPAIGN  OF  1805.  CHAP.  IV. 

advanced  by  several  days'  march  into  the  interior  of  Germany ; 
they  are  all  well-disposed.  The  army  has  suffered  no  losses, 
either  by  desertion  or  by  sickness.  The  weather  is  splendid. 
The  emperor  of  Austria,  who  came  to  join  his  army,  has  re 
turned  to  Vienna,  and  terror  reigns  already  in  the  enemy's 
ranks. 

I  have  received  information  that  the  Austrians  are  withdraw 
ing  troops  from  Italy,  that  they  may  march  on  Bavaria.  I  wish  you 
to  see  the  Minister  of  Police,  the  Minister  Dejean,  and  the  Chief 
Secretary  of  War,  to  learn  if  all  has  been  done  relating  to  call 
ing  out  the  reserves  of  the  conscription.  If  these  ministers  and 
the  prefects  would  put  a  little  zeal  into  their  services,  the  con 
scripts  ought  to  join  their  regiments  in  less  than  a  month  from 
this  time.  I  intend  the  conscription  of  the  present  year  (1805)  to 
join  me  in  the  course  of  a  month  from  the  23rd  of  October.  Pay 
the  greatest  attention  to  this. 


[  87.  j  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Essling,  Oct.  1, 1805, 

My  Brother, — The  army  is  advancing  rapidly.  The  1st  and 
2nd  corps  *  have  joined  the  Bavarians  and  left  Wiirzburg ;  the 
3rd,  4th,  and  6th  are  beyond  the  Necker.  The  enemy  marches 
and  countermarches,  and  seems  to  be  very  much  puzzled.  In  a 
few  days  we  shall  be  fighting.  The  army  has  not  had  one  loss, 
either  from  desertion  or  sickness.  I  shall  be  at  Stuttgardt  this 
evening.  As  we  shall  move  very  quickly,  you  must  not  be  aston 
ished  if  you  hear  nothing  from  me  for  some  days.  It  will  be 
enough  to  put  into  the  '  Moniteur  '  that  the  Emperor  is  at  Stutt 
gardt;  that  the  army  has  passed  the  Necker,  and  has  already 
gained  two  great  victories — the  first,  in  that  we  have  had  neither 
sickness  nor  desertion,  but,  on  .the  contrary,  have  been  joined  by 
many  conscripts ;  the  second,  in  that  we  have  been  joined  by  the 

*  The  1st  corps,  tinder  Bernadotte,  came  from  Hanover ;  the  2nd,  com 
manded  by  Marmont,  came  from  Zeist,  in  Holland;  the  3rd,  4th,  and  6th, 
under  Davoust,  Soult,  and  Ney,  came  from  the  camp  of  Boulogne,  and  crossed 
the  Rhine  between  Mannheim  and  Strasbourg. — ED. 


OCT.  1805.  ALLIANCE  WITH  BAVARIA.  Qf 

Bavarian,  Danish,  and   Wurtemburg   armies,  and  that  all    the 
Germans  are  well  disposed  towards  us. 


[  88.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Louisbourg,  Oct  2, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  entered  Louisbourg  yesterday ;  I  reside  in 
the  Elector's  palace :  he  has  definitively  joined  us.  No  blood  has 
yet  been  spilt  on  either  side ;  although  we  have  cut  off  several 
patrols  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  they  have  brought  to  me  30 
horsemen  as  prisoners.  We  are  all  in  full  inarch,  and  mano3U- 
vring  on  a  great  scale. 


[  89.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Louisbourg,  OcL  3,  1805. 

My  Brother, — I  go  to-night.  Events  will  become  more  in 
teresting  every  day.  You  need  put  into  the  Moniteur  only  that 
the  Emperor  is  well,  that  on  Friday,  October  3,  he  was  still  at 
Louisbourg;  that  the  alliance  with  Bavaria  is  concluded.  I 
heard  yesterday  at  the  Court  theatre  the  German  Don  Juan.  I 
suppose  that  the  music  of  this  opera  is  the  same  as  in  Paris :  it 
seemed  to  me  to  be  very  good. 


[  90.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Louisbourg,  Oct  4, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  am  glad  to  hear  that  the  conscription  is 
going  on  well  in  Paris.  Let  me  know  if  the  reserves  of  the 
years  1801,  1802,  1803,  1804  have  already  marched.  I  am  this 
instant  leaving  Louisbourg. 


[91.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Zusmarshaussen.  Oct.  9, 1805. 

My  Brother, — The  three  bulletins  which  have  been  sent  to 
Paris  will  have  given  you  an  idea  of  what  has  passed  here.  Give 
the  enclosed  letter  to  the  Prefet  of  Paris.  The  weather  changed 
two  days  ago ;  it  rains  a  great  deal. 

We  shall  reach  Munich  this  evening,  or  to-morrow  at  latest. 


68  CAMPAIGN  OF  1805.  CHAP.  IV. 

The  Russians  are  beginning  to  arrive.  The  enemy  is  weakening 
very  much  his  forces  in  Italy  in  order  to  send  troops  hither.  The 
next  three  or  four  days  will  probably  be  eventful.  Many  remark 
able  feats  of  arms  may  take  place. 

The  action  of  Wertingen  does  great  credit  to  the  dragoons 
and  to  the  cavalry.  It  is  a  pleasant  little  success  for  Murat,  who 
was  in  command. 

The  good  feeling  of  the  army,  their  wish  to  be  seriously  en 
gaged,  and  their  patience  under  fatigue,  are  of  good  omen.  My 
head-quarters  to-day  are  at  Zusmarshaussen.  I  have  neither  car 
riage  nor  secretaries,  nor  anything  else  here,  but  I  intend  this 
evening  to  join  the  head-quarters  at  Augsbourg. 

I  keep  the  enemy  surrounded  in  Ulm ;  they  were  defeated 
yesterday  by  Ney.  The  details  to-morrow. 


[  92.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOPEPH. 

Augsbourg,  Oct.  21,  1805. 

My  Brother, — The  bulletins  have  informed  you  of  our  glori 
ous  successes.  Nothing  can  be  better.  I  have  reason  to  be 
satisfied  with  the  heroism  of  the  army  and  with  its  attachment 
to  me. 


[  93.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Munich,  Oct.  2T,  1S05. 

My  Brother, — I  think  that  you  had  better  say  nothing  in  the 
'  Moniteur '  founded  on  rumours ;  as  I  get  further  off  there  will 
be  false  ones,  which  you  would  have  to  disavow.  It  is  better  to 
wait  for  real  news. 

I  hope  by  the  end  of  the  month  to  express  to  you  my  satisfac 
tion  on  the  arrival  of  the  conscripts.  I  have  as  yet  sustained  no 
great  losses.  But  if  the  war  continues,  I  must  lay  my  account 
to  have  to  leave  a  strong  army  in  the  North,  to  protect  Holland. 

The  conduct  of  Prussia  is  equivocal.  I  have  called  out  the 
reserve  in  only  54  departments.  Not  that  I  do  not  want  the 
whole,  but  because  I  fear  the  state  of  feeling  in  some  depart 
ments.  If  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  sees  no  objection  to 


OCT.  1805.  THE  EUSSIAN  AEMY.  (JQ 

calling  out  the  reserves  of  the  remaining  departments,  let  it  be 
done.  They  should  all  be  moved  towards  Strasbourg.  I  will 
let  the  Minister  of  War  know  the  corps  in  which  they  are  to  be 
incorporated. 

I  manoeuvre  against  the  Russian  army,  which  is  in  position 
behind  the  Inn,  and  strong. 

Before  a  fortnight  I  shall  have  opposed  to  me  100,000  Rus 
sians  and  60,000  Austrians,  sent  from  Italy  or  from  the  other 
reserves  of  that  kingdom.  I  shall  conquer  them,  but  probably 
not  without  loss. 

I  presume  that  Dejean  is  taking  measures  to  clothe  the  con 
scripts.  The  absence  of  the  army  from  France  must  save  much 
of  the  expense  which  it  cost  in  the  camp  at  Boulogne. 


[  94.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Braunan,  Oct.  30, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  reached  Braunau  to-day.  It  snows  heavily. 
The  Russian  army  seems  frightened  by  the  fate  of  the  Austrians. 
They  have  abandoned  to  me  Braunau,  one  of  the  keys  of  Austria, 
well  fortified  and  full  of  magazines.  We  shall  see  now  what 
this  Russian  army  will  do.  It  has  lost  its  presence  of  mind. 
They  rob,  steal,  and  outrage  everywhere,  to  the  great  disgust 
of  the  people.  They  look  down  on  the  Austrians,  who  seem  no 
longer  to  like  fighting :  by  they,  I  mean  the  Russian  officers ; 
the  men  are  brutes,  who  do  not  know  an  Austrian  from  a  French 
man. 


[  95.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Leutz,  Nov.  6, 1805. 

My  Brother, — My  advance  is  within  six  marches  of  Vienna. 
The  weather  is  unseasonably  cold ;  there  is  a  hard  frost.  My 
last  Paris  news  is  of  the  28th  of  October.  I  presume  that  Je 
rome  is  on  board  his  ship,  and  is  anxious  to  distinguish  himself, 
and  to  be  useful  to  me. 


70  CAMPAIGN  OF  1805.  CHAP.  IV. 

[  96.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Schunbrunn,  Nov.  15,  1805. 

My  Brother, — The  bulletin  has  told  you  all  that  I  found  in 
Vienna.*  I  manoeuvre  to-day  against  the  Russian  army,  and 
have  not  been  satisfied  with  Bernadotte ;  f  perhaps  the  fault  is 
in  his  health. 

When  I  let  him  enter  Munich  and  Salzbourg,  and  enjoy  the 
glory  of  these  great  expeditions  without  his  having  to  fire  a  gun, 
or  to  endure  any  of  the  fatiguing  services  of  the  army,  I  had  a 
right  to  expect  that  he  would  want  neither  activity  nor  zeal,. 
He  has  lost  me  a  day,  and  on  a  day  may  depend  the  destiny  of 
the  world.  Not  a  man  would  have  escaped  from  me.  I  hope 
that  he  will  repair  his  fault  to-morrow  by  a  more  active  move 
ment.  I  want  Junot.  Every  day  convinces  me  more  and  more 
that  the  men  whom  I  have  formed  are  incomparably  the  best.  I 
continue  to  be  pleased  with  Murat,  Lannes,  Davoust,  Soult,  Ney, 
and  Marmont.  I  hear  nothing  of  Augereau's  march.  Massuna 
has  behaved  indifferently.  He  made  bad  dispositions,  and  got 
himself  beaten  at  Caldiero.  Prince  Charles's  army  is  advancing 
on  me.  The  Venetian  country  must  by  this  time  be  evacuated. 
It  may  be  as  well  if  you  let  him  know,  through  our  common 
friends,  that  I  am  not  very  well  pleased,  I  will  not  say  with  his 
courage,  but  with  the  ability  which  he  has  shown.  This  will 
rouse  his  zeal,  and  may  stop  the  disorder  which  is  beginning  in 
his  army.  I  know  that  a  contribution  of  400,000  francs  has  been 
imposed  on  the  Austrian  portion  of  Verona.  I  intend  to  make 
the  generals  and  officers  who  serve  me  well  so  rich,  that  they  will 
have  no  pretext  for  dishonouring  by  their  cupidity  the  noblest  of 
all  professions,  and  losing  the  respect  of  their  soldiers.  General 
Dejean  is  absurd  about  arming  the  citadel  of  Ancona :  his  reasons 
are  contemptible.  Support  the  Constable.  J  All  the  arguments 
that  Dejean  uses  are  good  for  nothing.  It  is  a  habit  of  engineer 

*  An  immense  arsenal,  containing  100,000  muskets,  2000  pieces  of  cannon, 
and  vast  stores  of  ammunition,  was  found  there. — TR. 
f  Joseph's  brother-in-law. — TR. 
I  Prince  Louis  Bonaparte. 


Nov.  1S05.  PUESUIT  OF  THE  KUSSIAN  AEMT.  71 

officers  to   wish  to  show   their  cleverness;    I  choose  it  to   be 
armed,  and  that  is  enough. 

The  Emperor  of  Germany  writes  beautiful  letters  to  me  :  but 
though  he  has  allowed  me  to  occupy  his  capital,  he  has  not  yet 
shaken  off  the  influence  of  Russia.  Just  now  he  is  supposed  to  be 
with  the  Emperor  Alexander,  but  some  day  or  other  he  must  make 
up  his  mind. 


[97.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Znaim,  Nov.  18, 1S05. 

My  Brother, — I  received  your  letter  of  the  15th  in  Moravia. 
We  are  pursuing  the  Russian  army  with  our  swords  almost  in 
their  backs.  They  have  lost  about  6000  men  in  the  different 
engagements,  and  are  making  long  forced  marches  to  evacuate 
Austria.  I  expect  to  be  at  Briinn  to-morrow.  My  advanced 
posts  are  before  Olmiitz,  in  which  fortress  the  Emperor  of  Ger 
many  has  taken  refuge. 

All  that  is  going  on  in  the  Bank  has  been  long  foreseen  by 
sensible  people.  The  principal  cause  is  that  they  discount  every 
species  of  paper  in  circulation ;  but  the  root  of  all  this  evil  is 
that  the  interest  of  most  of  the  directors  is  opposed  to  that  of 
the  public  and  of  the  State.  I  see  little  chance  of  finding  a 
remedy,  but  I  will  try  to  do  so  on  my  return ;  till  then  it  must 
be  let  alone.  You  may  say  that  I  shall  be  in  Paris  before 
Christmas. 


[  98.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Brunn,  Nov.  21, 1805. 

My  Brother, — You  have  thrown  away  26  millions ;  *  where 
will  you  find  money  for  the  pay  and  subsistence  of  the  troops  ? 
I  owe  nothing  to  Vanlerberghe ;  so  much  the  worse  for  him  if  he 
has  engaged  himself  with  Spain  about  matters  which  do  not  co'n- 
cern  me.  It  is  enough  for  me  that  his  failure  is  no  fault  of  the 
treasury. 

*  In  assisting  the  House  of  Vanlerberghe. — TK. 


72  CAMPAIGN  OF  1805.  CHAP.  IV. 

[99.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Brunn,  Nov.  24,  1805. 

My  Brother, — I  inform  you  that  the  Emperor  of  Germany 
has  just  sent  to  me  M.  de  Stadion,  his  minister  in  Russia,  and 
Lieut.- General  Comte  de  Giulay,  with  full  powers  to  negotiate, 
conclude,  and  sign  a  definitive  peace  between  France  and  Austria. 
I  have  given  similar  powers  to  M.  de  Talleyrand.  You  will 
state  this  in  the  '  Moniteur,'  and  add  this  paragraph  :  "  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  negotiation  will  produce  peace,  but  this  hope 
must  not  slacken  the  zeal  of  our  administrators;  on  the  con 
trary,  it  is  an  additional  motive  for  hastening  the  conscripts  on 
their  march,  according  to  the  old  proverb,  Si  vis  pacem,  para 
bettum.  His  Majesty  recommends  the  Ministers  of  War  and  of 
the  Interior  to  press  on  their  preparations." 

You  will  insert  as  news  from  Vienna,  "  Negotiations  have 
begun.  It  is  said  that  the  Emperor  of  the  French  is  going  to 
Italy.  It  is  also  said  that  he  intends  to  appear  in  Paris  when 
least  expected  there.  We  have  not  yet  seen  him." 

[  100.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Brunn,  Nov.  26,  1805. 

My  Brother, — I  am  still  at  Brrinn.  I  have  given  audiences 
to  Stadion  and  to  Giulay.  I  receive  to-morrow  Haugwitz,  the 
Prussian  minister.  I  hope  soon  to  make  peace.  You  cannot 
conceive  how  anxious  I  am  to  return  to  Paris.  See  if  the 
Tuileries  are  at  last  finished.  It  seems  to  me  that  they  ought  to 
have  been  ready  by  the  1st  of  November.  The  Emperors  of 
Germany  and  Russia  are  at  Olmiitz.  The  Russian  army  is  rein 
forced  from  time  to  time. 


[101.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Austerlitz,  Dec.  3, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  hope  that  by  the  time  this  courier  reachet 
you,  my  aide-de-camp  Lebrun,  whom  I  sent  off  from  the  field  of 
battle,  will  have  got  to  Paris.  After  some  days  of  manoeuvres, 
I  had  yesterday  a  decisive  battle.  I  put  to  flight  the  allied 


DEO.  1895.  BATTLE  OF  AUSTERLITZ.  73 

army,  commanded  by  the  two  Emperors  of  Germany  and  Russia 
in  person.  It  consisted  of  80,000  Russians  and  30,000  Aus- 
trians.  I  have  taken  about  40,000  prisoners,  among  whom  are 
20  Russian  generals,  40  colours,  100  pieces  of  cannon,  and  all  the 
standards  of  the  Russian  imperial  guards.  The  whole  army  has 
covered  itself  with  glory. 

The  enemy  has  left  at  least  from  12,000  to  15,000  men  on 
the  field.  I  do  not  yet  know  my  own  loss.  I  estimate  it  at -800 
or  900  killed,  and  twice  as  many  wounded.  A  whole  column  of 
the  enemy  threw  itself  into  a  lake,  and  the  greater  part  of  them 
were  drowned.  I  fancy  that  I  still  hear  the  cries  of  these 
wretches  whom  it  was  impossible  to  save*  The  two  Emperors 
are  in  a  bad  situation.  You  may  print  the  substance  of  this,  but 
not  as  extracted  from  a  letter  of  mine,  it  would  not  be  suitable. 
You  will  receive  the  bulletin  to-morrow.  Though  I  have  been 
sleeping  for  the  last  week  in  the  open  air,  my  health  is  good. 
To-night  I  sleep  in  a  bed  in  the  fine  country-house  of  M.  de  Kau- 
nitz,  near  Austerlitz,  and  I  have  put  on  a  clean  shirt,  which  I 
have  not  done  for  a  week.  The  guard  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia 

*  This  is  a  remarkable  passage.  The  inference  which  Napoleon  intended 
Joseph  to  draw  is,  that  he  would  have  saved  the  Russians  from  being  drowned, 
if  he  had  been  able.  But,  in  fact,  they  were  drowned  intentionally,  and  by  his 
orders. 

This  is  the  account  of  the  transaction  by  M.  Thiers : — "  The  flying  Rus 
sians  threw  themselves  on  the  frozen  lakes.  The  ice  gave  way  in  some  places, 
but  was  firm  in  others,  and  afforded  an  asylum  to  a  crowd  of  fugitives.  Napo 
leon,  fror_  the  hill  of  Pratzen,  overlooking  the  lakes,  saw  the  disaster.  He 
ordered  the  battery  of  his  guard  to  fire  round  shot  on  the  parts  of  the  ice 
which  remained  unbroken,  and  thus  to  complete  the  destruction  of  the 
wretches  who  had  taken  refuge  there.  Nearly  2000  persons  were  thus  drowned 
among  the  broken  ice." — Consulat  et  Empire  livre  xxiii.  p.  326. 

A  person,  not  an  eye-witness  himself,  but  who  had  carefully  collected  infor 
mation  respecting  this  battle  from  eye-witnesses,  described  to  me  the  scene. 
The  French  batteries  fired,  by  Napoleon's  order,  first,  not  on  the  Russians,  but 
on  the  parts  of  the  ice  nearest  to  the  shore.  When  these  were  broken,  the 
Russians  were  on  a  sort  of  island  of  ice.  They  all  fell  on  their  knees.  The 
batteries  then  fired  on  them  and  on  the  ice  on  which  they  stood,  until  the  last 
man  w;is  killed  or  drowned.  My  informant  computed  the  number  thus  de 
stroyed  at  6000.— TR. 

VOL.  I.—  4 


74  NAPOLEON  ON  PEACE.  CHAP.  IT. 

was  demolished.     Prince  Repnin,  who  commanded  it,  was  taken, 
with  a  part  of  his  men,  and  all  his  standards  and  artillery. 

The  Emperor  of  Germany  this  morning  sent  to  me  Prince 
Lichtenstein  to  ask  for  an  interview.  It  is  possible  that  peace 
may  soon  follow.  On  the  field  of  battle  my  army  was  smaller 
than  his,  but  the  enemy  was  caught  in  a  false  position  while  he  was 
m  anoau  vr  ing.  * 

[  102.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Schonbrunn,  Dec.  13,  1805. 

My  Brother, — You  need  not  have  announced  so  pompously 
that  the  enemy  had  sent  plenipotentiaries,  or  have  fired  the  guns. 
It  was  the  way  to  throw  cold  water  on  the  zeal  of  the  nation,  and 
to  give  foreigners  a  false  impression  as  to  our  affairs  at  home. 
Crying  out  for  peace  is  i.ot  the  means  of  getting  it.  I  did  not 
think  it  worth  putting  into  a  bulletin,  still  less  did  it  deserve  to 
be  mentioned  in  the  theatres.  The  mere  word  peace  means  noth 
ing,  what  we  want  is  a  glorious  peace.  Nothing  could  be  more 
ill-conceived  or  more  impolitic  than  what  has  just  been  done  in 
Paris. 


[  103.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Schonbrnnn,  Dec.  15, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  have  got  your  letter  of  the  7th.  f  I  am  not 
accustomed  to  let  my  policy  be  governed  by  the  gossip  of  Paris, 
and  I  am  sorry  that  you  attach  so  much  importance  to  it.  My 
people,  under  all  circumstances,  has  found  it  good  to  trust  every 
thing  to  me,  and  the  present  question  is  too  complicated  to  be 
understood  by  a  Parisian  citizen.  I  mentioned  to  you  my  disap 
probation  of  the  importance  which  you  gave  to  the  arrival  of  the 
two  Austrian  plenipotentiaries.  I  disapprove  equally  of  the  arti- 

*  The  news  that  Stadion  and  Giulay  had  been  sent  by  the  emperor  of  Ger 
many  to  negotiate  for  peace  was  announced  by  Joseph  in  the  theatres.  The 
guns  of  the  Invalides  were  also  fired,  that  day  being  the  anniversary  of  the 
coronation. — TR. 

t  In  this  letter  Joseph  had  dwelt  on  the  general  wish  in  Paris  for  peace. 
— TR. 


DEC.  1805.  NEGOTIATIONS  FOR  PEACE.  75 

cles  which  the  '  Journal  de  Paris  '  keeps  on  publishing.  Nothing 
can  be  more  silly  or  in  worse  taste.  I  shall  make  peace  when  I 
think  it  the  interest  of  my  people  to  do  so ;  and  the  outcries  of 
a  few  intriguers  will  not  hasten  or  delay  it  by  a  single  hour.  My 
people  will  always  be  of  one  opinion  when  it  knows  that  I  am 
pleased,  because  that  proves  that  its  interests  have  been  protect 
ed.  The  time  when  it  deliberated  in  its  sections  has  passed. 
The  battle  of  Austerlitz  has  shown  how  ridiculous  was  the  im 
portance  which,  without  my  orders,  you  gave  to  the  mission  of 
the  plenipotentiaries.  I  will  fight,  if  it  be  necessary,  more  than 
one  battle  more  to  arrive  at  a  peace  with  securities.  I  trust 
nothing  to  chance ;  but  what  I  say  I  do,  or  I  die.  You  will  see 
that  the  peace,  advantageous  as  I  shall  make  it,  will  be  thought 
disadvantageous  by  those  who  are  now  clamouring  for  it,  because 
they  are  fools  and  blockheads,  who  know  nothing  about  it.  It  is 
ridiculous  to  hear  them  always  repeating  that  we  want  peace,  as 
if  the  mere  fact  of  peace  was  anything ;  all  depends  on  the  con 
ditions.  I  have  read  the  extract  from  Fesch's  letter.  He  does 
not  know  what  he  is  talking  about,  nor  M.  Alquier  any  more, 
when  they  speak  of  a  disembarkation  of  8000  Austrian  caval 
ry — as  if  8000  cavalry  could  be  so  easily  embarked. 


[  104.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Schonbrunn,  Deo.  20, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  llth,  ac 
knowledging  the  telegraphic  despatch  announcing  the  battle  of 
Austerlitz.  The  negotiations  continue.  My  army  is  getting  rest 
and  equipments.  Prince  Charles's  army  is  close  by.  If  peace  is 
not  quickly  made,  there  will  be  an  engagement  in  less  than  a 
month,  which  will  not  leave  the  Austrian  monarchy  the  shadow 
of  a  resource. 

The  returns  of  Marshal  Kellermann  of  the  2nd  and  3rd  of 
December,  mention  a  much  less  number  of  conscripts  than  are 
announced  by  the  reports  of  Marshal  Moncey  :  10,000  have  not 
yet  reached  the  two  armies  of  reserve.  Louis  has  pushed  things 
too  far  in  leaving  Paris  so  ungarrisoned.  I  had  sent  for  the  86th 


76  BARB£-MAKBOIS.  CHAP.  iv. 

and  the  5th  to  Versailles,  in  order,  if  necessary,  to  call  them  to 
Paris.  The  objection  to  summoning  to  Paris  the  other  regiments 
from  the  camp  of  Poitiers  is,  that,  being  all  Belgians,  the  vicinity 
of  their  own  country  would  induce  them  to  desert.  From  the 
north  there  is  nothing  to  fear.  The  disagreements  which  existed 
between  France  and  Prussia  have  been  removed,  to  the  general 
satisfaction.  It  is  useless  to  publish  this,  or  to  make  great  ad 
vances  to  Lucchesini.* 


[  105.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Schonbrunn,  Dec.  23, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  send  to  you  an  open  letter,  which  you  will 
read,  seal,  and  give  to  M.  Barb6-Marbois.  I  doubt  whether  to 
attribute  his  conduct  to  treason  or  to  folly.  He  has  advanced  to 
the  contractors  for  the  army  85,000,000  belonging  to  the  Treasury. 
If  I  had  been  beaten,  he  would  have  been  the  most  useful  ally 
that  the  coalition  could  have  had.  I  suspend  my  judgment  until  I 
can  ascertain  myself  the  causes  of  such  an  enormous  deficit. 
Talk  it  over  confidentially  with  the  Finance  Minister,  and  take 
the  utmost  care  that  not  a  farthing  goes  out  of  the  Treasury 
without  an  order.  M.  Barbe-Marbois  has  been  unfaithful  to  his 
duties.  You  need  not  say  this  to  him,  nor  alarm  him  too  much 
until  I  come,  which  will  be  very  soon.  Show  this  letter  to  the 
Minister  of  Finance,  and  send  cpietly  for  the  cashier  who  keeps 
the  securities,  to  see  which  of  them  have  left  his  custody,  and  to 
be  sure  that  he  parts  with  no  more.  I  tell  you  frankly  that  I 
think  that  M.  Barbe-Marbois  has  betrayed  me.  Say  nothing  of 
all  this  to  M.  Cambaceres,  because  the  brothers  Michel  are  con 
cerned  in  it,  and  I  do  not  know  how  far  his  interests  may  be 
affected.  Say  slightly  to  M.  Marbois  that  a  storm  is  brewing, 
and  that  there  is  only  one  mode  of  averting  it,  which  is  replacing 
the  securities  in  the  Treasury  before  my  arrival ;  and  that  he  will 
do  well  to  arrange  with  Desprez  that  all  may  be  replaced  in  its 
ordinary  state;  otherwise  the  storm  will  break.  I  should  not 

*  The  Prussian  Minister. 


DEC.  1805.  PEACE  OP  PEESBUBGK  77 

be  surprised  if  Desprez  and  the  other  jobbers  connected  with 
Barbe-Marbois,  in  their  fear,  replace  what  has  been  taken. 


[  106.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Schonbrunn,  Dec.  27, 1805. 

My  Brother, — The  peace  was  signed  at  Presburg  at  4  o'clock 
this  morning  by  M.  de  Talleyrand,  the  Prince  Lichtenstein,  and 
General  Giulay.  I  am  to  have  an  interview  with  Prince  Charles. 
I  have  not  time  to  write  more.  Guns  ought  not  to  be  fired  for  a 
peace  until  it  has  been  signed.  You  may  announce  this  by 
forty  discharges. 


78 


INVASION  OP  NAPLES.  CHAP.  V. 


CHAPTEE   V. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  31st  of 
December,  1805,  to  the  31st  of  March,  1806. 

They  relate  the  success  of  the  first  of  Napoleon's  attempts  to 
seize  the  ancient  monarchies  of  Europe,  and  to  convert  them  into 
sub-kingdoms  to  be  governed  by  his  own  brothers  and  kinsmen — 
attempts  which  produced  his  own  ruin  and  the  dismemberment  of 
the  great  empire  of  which  he  was  the  immediate  sovereign.  The 
first  of  these  letters  informs  Joseph  that  he  is  to  command  the 
army  which  is  to  invade  Naples. 

The  last  orders  him  to  assume  the  Neapolitan  crown. 


[  107.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Munich,  Dec.  81, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  am  at  Munich.  I  shall  remain  here  a  few 
days  to  receive  the  ratification  of  the  treaty,  and  to  give  to  the 
army  its  last  orders. 

I  intend  to  take  possession  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  Mar 
shal  Massena  and  General  Saint- Cyr  are  marching  on  that  king 
dom  with  two  corps-d'arme'e, 

I  have  named  you  my  Lieutenant  commauding-in-chief  the 
army  of  Naples. 

Set  off  for  Rome  forty  hours  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter, 
and  let  your  first  dispatch  inform  me  that  you  have  entered 


JAN.  1806.  MARRIAGE  OF  EUGENE  BEAUHAENOIS.  79 

Naples,  driven  out  the  treacherous  Court,  and  subjected  that  part 
of  Italy  to  our  authority. 

You  will  find  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  army  the  decrees  and 
instructions  relating  to  your  mission. 

You  will  wear  the  uniform  of  a  general  of  division.  As  my 
lieutenant,  you  have  all  the  marshals  under  your  orders.  Your 
command  does  not  extend  beyond  the  army  and  the  Neapolitan 
teritory.  If  my  presence  were  not  necessary  in  Paris  I  would  t 
march  myself  on  Naples  ;  but  with  the  generals  whom  you  have, 
and  the  instructions  which  you  will  receive,  you  will  do  all  that  I 
could  do.  Do  not  say  whither  you  are  going,  except  to  the  Arch- 
Chancellor  ;  let  it  be  known  only  by  your  lettters  from  the  army. 


£  108.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Munich,  Dec.  31, 1805. 

My  Brother, — I  have  demanded  in  marriage  for  Prince 
Eugene,  Princess  Augusta,  daughter  of  the  Elector  of  Bavaria, 
and  a  very  pretty  person.  This  marriage  has  been  agreed  on ;  I 
have  demanded  another  princess  for  Jerome.  As  you  have  seen 
him  last,  tell  me  if  I  can  reckon  on  the  young  man's  consent.  I 
have  also  arranged  a  marriage  for  your  eldest  daughter  with  a 
small  prince,  who  in  time  will  become  a  great  prince.  As  this 
last  marriage  cannot  take  place  for  some  months,  I  shall  have  time 
to  talk  to  you  about  it.  Tell  mamma,  as  from  me,  about  the 
marriage  of  Prince  Eugene  with  Princess  Augusta.  I  do  not 
wish  it  to  be  mentioned  publicly. 


[109.]  NA*OJLEON  TO  PRINCESS  JOSEPH. 

Munich,  Jan.  9,1806. 

Madame,  my  Sister-in-law, — I  settled  some  time  ago  the 
marriage  of  my  son,  Prince  Eugene,  with  the  Princess  Augusta, 
daughter  of  the  King  of  Bavaria.  The  Elector  of  Ratisbon 
marries  them  at  Munich  on  the  15th  of  January.  I  am  detained, 
therefore,  for  a  few  days  longer  in  this  town. 

The  Princess  Augusta  is  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most 
accomplished  persons  of  her  sex.  It  would  be  proper,  I  think, 


8Q  PROCLAMATION  FEOM  BCHdNBRUNN.  CHAP.  IV 

that  you  should  make  her  a  present  costing  from  15,000  to  20,000 
francs.  She  will  set  off  for  Italy  on  the  20th  of  January.  The 
King  of  Bavaria  will  write  to  you  to  announce  the  marriage. 
Whereupon  I  pray  God,  madame,  my  sister-in-law,  to  keep  you 
in  his  holy  and  worthy  protection. 


[  110."]  Imperial  Camp  of  Schonbrunn,  6  Nivose,  an  14 

(Dec.  27, 1805). 

Soldiers,  for  ten  years  I  have  done  everything  to  save  the 
King  of  Naples.  He  has  done  everything  to  ruin  himself. 

After  the  battles  of  Dego,  Mondovi,  and  Lodi,  he  could  have 
resisted  me  but  feebly :  I  trusted  him  and  treated  him  with  gen 
erosity. 

After  the  second  coalition  was  broken  at  Marengo,  the  King 
of  Naples,  who  had  been  the  first  to  begin  that  unjust  war,  aban 
doned  at  Luneville  by  his  allies,  stood  alone  and  defenceless.  He 
entreated,  and  I  pardoned  him  a  second  time. 

A  few  months  ago  you  were  at  the  gates  of  Naples.  I  had 
sufficient  reason  to  suspect  the  treachery  which  was  meditated, 
and  to  revenge  the  outrages  which  I  had  received.  I  was  again 
generous  :  I  acknowledged  the  neutrality  of  Naples,  and  directed 
you  to  quit  that  kingdom :  for  the  third  time  the  house  of  Naples 
was  saved  and  re-established. 

Shall  we  pardon  a  fourth  time  ?  Shall  we  trust  a  fourth  time, 
a  court  without  faith,  or  honour,  or  intelligence  ?  No !  no  !  The 
Neapolitan  dynasty  has  ceased  to  reign,  its  existence  is  incompati 
ble  with  the  tranquillity  of  Europe  and  the  honour  of  my  crown. 

Soldiers,  march ;  throw  into  the  waves,  if  they  wait  for  you, 
the  weak  battalions  of  the  tyrant  of  the  seas.  Show  the  world 
how  we  punish  treachery.  Let  me  hear  without  delay  that  all 
Italy  is  subject  to  my  authority  or  to  that  of  my  allies :  that  the 
finest  of  countries  is  relieved  from  the  yoke  of  the  most  faithless 
of  men  :  that  the  sacrediiess  of  treaties  has  been  avenged :  and 
that  the  manes  of  my  brave  soldiers,  massacred  in  the  ports  of 
Sicily,  on  their  return  from  Egypt,  after  having  escaped  from  the 
lesert  and  from  a  hundred  battles,  are  at  length  appeased. 

Soldiers,  my  brother  marches  at  your  head.     He  knows  my 


JAN.  1806  JOSEPH'S  MARCH  TO  NAPLES.  gj 

plans,  he  possesses  my  authority  and  my  confidence.    Give  to  him 
yours.* 


[111.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Munich,  Jan.  12, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  7th.  You 
started  on  the  9th.  To-day  you  must  be  at  Chambery.  The 
15th  or  16th  you  will  be  near  Rome.  I  have  sent  to  you  General 
Dumas.  Marshal  Massena  must  be  with  the  army.  I  calculate 
that  after  a  few  days'  rest  you  will  have  nearly  40,000  men,  which 
you  can  divide  into  three  corps;  Massena  will  have  the  largest, 
General  Saint- Cyr  the  second,  and  General  Reyneir  the  smallest, 
consisting  of  6000  good  troops,  as  a  reserve.  Attach  yourself  to 
General  Reyneir.  He  is  cold,  but  of  the  three  he  is  the  best  able 
to  make  a  good  plan  of  campaign,  and  to  give  you  good  advice. 
In  your  position  the  secret  is  to  make  each  of  the  three  believe 
that  he  has  your  confidence. 

This  lettter  will  be  presented  by  my  aide-de-camp  Lebrun, 
whom  you  may  keep.  You  may  employ  General  Dumas  on  your 
staff.  He  does  not  understand  much  about  manoauvring,  he  has 
not  had  enough  military  experience.  Your  great  business  is  to 
keep  your  troops  together,  and  to  reach  Naples  with  all  your 
forces  as  soon  as  possible. 

An  army  composed  of  men  belonging  to  different  nations  will 
soon  commit  blunders.!  The  thing  to  be  done  should  be  to  watch 
for  them,  and  turn  them  to  account ;  but  you  have  nobody  about 
you  who  can  direct  you  how  to  do  this.  A  week  more  or  less  is 
not  of  importance.  Besides  the  three  corps  which  I  have  men 
tioned  to  you,  keep  in  hand  a  strong  body  of  cavalry  and  light 
artillery,  to  be  sent  wherever  it  may  be  wanted ;  but  it  is  difficult 
to  believe  that  the  Russians  and  English  will  not  retire  as  your 
army  becomes  strong  and  well  organized.  If,  contrary  to  my 

*  Such  frequent  reference  to  this  proclamation  is  made  by  Napoleon's  let 
ters,  that  I  have  thought  right  to  insert  it. — TR. 

t  The  forces  at  the  disposal  of  the  King  of  Naples  were  English,  Russian, 
and  Neapolitan. — TR. 
VOL.  I.— 4* 


82  INSTRUCTIONS  TO  JOSEPH.  .  CHAP.  IV. 

expectations,  the  enemy  should  be  strongly  reinforced,  on  the 
first  notice  from  you  I  will  be  with  you.  Talk  seriously  to  Mas 
sena*  and  to  S ,  and  say  that  you  will  have  no  stealing; 

Massena  has  been  robbing  terribly  in  the  Venetian  country.     I 

have  recalled  S to  Paris  on  the  same   ground.     He  is  a 

rogue. 

Keep  strict  discipline  in  this  matter.  Take  six  aides-de-camp. 
Hold  no  council  of  war,  but  collect  opinions  one  by  one.  Write 
to  me  frequently  and  fully,  that  I  may  give  you  as  much  as  pos 
sible  of  my  advice.  When  you  have  entered  the  kingdom  of 
Naples,  after  the  first  battle,  explain  to  the  Neapolitans  in  your 
proclamation  all  that  I  have  done  to  remove  from  them  the  war, 
and  all  that  the  Queen  has  done  to  attract  it.  Few,  very  few 
flags  of  truce.  Prince  Eugene,  who  commands  in  the  Kingdom 
of  Italy,  will  keep  a  reserve  ready  to  meet  any  unexpected  event. 
You  should  establish  your  line  of  communication — that  is  to  say, 
your  line  of  posts  and  marches,  in  short,  what  a  line  of  communi 
cation  consists  of — by  Tuscany,  not  by  Ancona  and  the  Abruzzi, 
for  I  wish  you  to  act  on  Naples  through  Rome.  Otherwise  the 
war  might  be  prolonged,  you  might  be  forced  to  conquer  the 
Abruzzi,  and  the  enemy  might  have  time  to  prepare  the  defence 
of  Naples ;  but,  I  repeat,  a  fortnight  is  not  of  importance.  Keep 
your  troops  well  together.  General  Mathieu,  who  knows  well 
the  country,  and  enjoys  your  confidence,  is  to  join  you.  Pray 
send  me  every  day  the  returns  of  the  numbers  and  positions  of 
your  troops.  Whereupon  I  pray  Grod  that  he  will  keep  you  in  his 
holy  and  worthy  protection. 


[112.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Munich,  Jan.  14,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  your  letter  of  the  10th.  I  sent  to  you 
my  aide-de-camp,  Colonel  Lebrun.  I  send  you  M.  de  Segur, 
whom  also  you  may  keep  near  you  during  the  campaign.  The 
young  Clary  and  Roederer  are  going  to  your  head-quarters,  to  be 

*  In  the  original  only  "  M "  is  inserted.     As  this   obviously  means 

Massena,  I  have  so  translated  it  throughout. — TK. 


JAN.  1806.  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  83 

in  your  personal  service.  Salicetti  is  also  ordered  thither.  Yes 
terday  Eugene  was  married  civilly ;  two  hours  hence  the  Elector 
of  Ratisbon  will  marry  them  in  the  church.  I  send  you  a  copy 
of  the  marriage  contract,  which  is  to  be  a  secret.  No  one  but 
you  has  a  copy,  or  has  even  seen  it. 


[113.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Stuttgardt,  Jan.  19, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  wish  you  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  Naples  in 
the  first  days  of  February,  and  I  wish  to  hear  from  you,  in  the 
course  of  February,  that  our  flag  is  flying  on  the  walls  of  that 
capital.  You  will  make  no  truce,  you  will  hear  of  no  capitula 
tion  :  my  will  is  that  the  Bourbons  shall  have  ceased  to  reign  at 
Naples.  I  intend  to  seat  on  that  throne  a  prince  of  my  own 
house.  In  the  first  place,  you,  if  it  suits  you ;  if  not,  another. 
I  repeat,  do  not  divide  your  forces ;  let  all  your  army  pass  the 
Apennines,  and  let  your  three  corps  march  on  -Naples,  so  disposed 
as  to  be  able  to  join  in  one  day  on  one  field  of  battle.  Leave  a 
general,  some  depots,  some  stores,  and  some  artillerymen  at  An- 
cona  for  its  defence.  Naples  once  taken,  the  distant  parts  of  the 
kingdom  will  fall  to  you  of  themselves.  The  enemy  in  the 
Abruzzi  will  be  taken  in  the  rear,  and  you  will  send  a  division  to 
Taranto,  and  another  towards  Sicily,  to  conquer  that  kingdom. 
I  intend  to  leave  under  your  orders  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  all 
this  year,  and  afterwards,  until  I  make  some  new  disposition,  14 
regiments  of  French  infantry  and  12  regiments  of  French  cavalry, 
all  on  a  full  war  establishment.  The  country  must  find  provisions, 
clothes,  remounts,  and  all  that  is  necessary  for  your  army,  so  that 
it  may  not  cost  me  a  farthing.  My  troops  belonging  to  the  king 
dom  of  Italy  will  not  remain  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  longer 
than  you  think  necessary,  after  which  they  will  return  home. 
You  will  raise  a  Neapolitan  legion,  into  which  you  will  admit 
only  Neapolitan  officers  and  soldiers,  such  as  choose  to  adhere  to 
me. 


84  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  CHAP.  V 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 


Paris,  Jan.  2T,  1806. 

My  Brother,  —  I  reached  Paris  yesterday  evening.  To-day 
I  held  a  council.  I  am  indignant  at  the  mismanagement  of  my 
finances.  I  have  appointed  the  councillor  of  state,  Mollien, 
minister  of  finances.  I  am  delighted  with  everything  that  you 
did  while  you  were  at  Paris.  Receive  my  best  thanks,  and  as 
a  proof  of  how  well  I  am  pleased,  I  shall  send  you  by  the  first 
messenger  my  portrait  on  a  snuff-box. 

Hold  a  proper  tone  towards  the  army.  Suffer  no  peculation. 
I  hope  that  you  are  pleased  with  Massena  ;  if  not,  send  him 
back.  It  seems  that  the  Queen  of  Naples  has  been  trying  to 
bribe  here.  Let  nothing  affect  your  plans.  I  reckon  on  your 
entering  the  kingdom  of  Naples  the  first  week  in  February. 

To-day  the  Princess  Julie  and  her  children  dine  with  me. 

I  have  this  instant  received  a  letter  from  the  Queen  of  Na 
ples,  begging  for  quarter  ;  I  shall  not  answer  it.  Do  not  you 
answer  any  that  you  may  receive  from  her.  If  she  sends  any 
one  to  you,  let  her  messenger  be  told  that  your  orders  are  to 
occupy  Naples.  After  her  breach  of  treaty,  I  trust  none  of  her 
promises. 

[115.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  27,  1806. 

My  Brother,  —  I  hear  that  the  court  of  Naples  sends  Car 
dinal  Ruffo  to  me  with  propositions  of  peace.  My  orders  are 
that  he  be  not  allowed  to  come  to  Paris.  You  must  immediately 
commence  hostilities,  and  make  all  your  arrangements  for  taking 
immediate  possession  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  without  listen 
ing  to  any  propositions  for  peace,  armistice,  or  suspension  of 
arms  —  reject  them  all  indiscriminately. 

[  116.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  30,  1806. 

My  Brother,  —  I  suppose  that  by  the  time  you  receive  this 
letter  you  will  be  master  of  Naples.  I  can  only  repeat  to  you 
my  former  instructions  and  my  decided  intention  to  conquer  the 


JAN.  1806.  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  35 

kingdom  of  Naples  and  Sicily.  As  soon  as  you  are  master  of 
Naples  you  will  send  two  corps,  one  towards  Taranto,  the  other 
towards  the  coast  opposite  Sicily.  You  will  affirm  in  the 
strongest  manner  that  the  King  of  Naples  will  never  sit  again 
on  that  throne,  that  his  removal  is  necessary  to  the  peace  of  the 
Continent,  which  he  has  troubled  twice.  You  will  insert  in  your 
general  orders  the  enclosed  proclamation.* 

[117.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  30, 1806. 

My  Brother, — M.  Miot  sets  off  to-day  to  join  you ;  I  hope 
that  he  will  find  you  in  Naples ;  you  may  employ  him  in  military 
administration.  I  wish  all  the  palaces  in  Rome,  or  in  the  Roman 
states,  which  belong  to  Naples  and  to  Venice,  to  be  occupied  im 
mediately.  Give  your  assistance  to  Cardinal  Fesch,  if  necessary, 
in  taking  possession  of  them. 

[  118.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  31, 1806. 

My  Brother, — The  Marquis  G-allo  has  left  the  Neapolitan 
service,  and  is  going  to  you  to  offer  you  his  best  assistance.  He 
will  be  the  first  Neapolitan  to  swear  fealty  to  you.  It  is  sup 
posed  that  the  Prince  Royal  remains  in  Naples ;  if  so,  seize  him 
and  send  him  to  France  with  a  sufficient  and  trustworthy  escort. 
This  is  my  express  order,  I  leave  you  no  discretion.  From  all 
that  I  hear  I  infer  that  the  royal  family  has  embarked,  that  the 
forts  will  be  delivered  to  you,  and  no  resistance  made.  In  that 
case  you  will  instantly  form  a  corps  of  from  22,000  to  23,000 
men,  which  will  march  towards  Reggio  to  pass  immediately  into 
Sicily. 

In  this  first  moment  of  alarm  and  confusion  it  will  be  easier 
to  cross  than  at  any  other  time.  You  have  got  my  Schonbrunn 
proclamation  ;  I  delayed  its  publication  because  I  did  not  choose 
to  announce  your  march  to  Naples  without  being  sure  that  you 

*  The  proclamation  of  Schonbrunn,  of  the  27th  December,  1805,  already 
inserted. 


gg  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  CHAP.  V 

would  reach  it.  To-morrow  it  will  be  printed  in  the  '  Moni- 
teur,'  and  communicated  to  all  the  courts  of  Europe.  This  must 
convince  you  that  the  old  race  of  the  kings  of  Naples  reigns  no 
longer. 

I  am  impatient  for  a  return  of  the  numbers  and  position*  of 
your  army,  particularly  as  to  the  position  of  all  our  third  and 
fourth  battalions.  I  will  send  you  enough  conscripts  to  keep 
your  regiments  on  a  full  war  establishment.  Pay,  clothing,  and 
food  you  must  supply.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  my  proclama 
tion  must  be  translated  into  Italian,  and  stuck  up  in  all  the 
towns  and  public  places  in  the  kingdom.  If  any  of  the  great 
people  or  others  are  troublesome,  send  them  to  France,  and  say 
that  you  do  it  by  my  order.  No  half-measures,  no  weakness.  I 
intend  my  blood  to  reign  in  Naples  as  long  as  it  does  in  France  : 
the  kingdom  of  Naples  is  necessary  to  me. 


[  119.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  3,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  24th. 
General  Saint-Cyr  attended  my  levee  yesterday.  I  expressed  to 
him  openly  my  displeasure,  and  ordered  him  to  return  instantly 
to  his  post.  I  send  you  a  paper  on  Naples,  containing  at  least 
geographical  information.  It  is  drawn  up  by  M.  de  Vintimille, 
who  has  resided  in  Naples,  and  is  anxious  to  enter  my  service  : 
I  have  sent  him  to  Naples,  where  he  may  be  useful  to  you. 

The  return  enclosed  in  your  letter  of  the  24th  is  too  concise. 
From  the  moment  that  you  reach  Naples  you  will  be  in  no  want 
of  money,  if  you  taki  care  that  nobody  robs.  In  the  Venetian 
country  Massena  took  all  that  he  could.  When  you  receive  this 
letter  you  will  be  on  your  march,  and  I  am  impatient  to  hear 
that  you  have  conquered  Naples.  You  have  5  divisions  of  in 
fantry  ;  keep  them  always  together.  Believe  in  my  friendship. 
Disregard  those  who  would  keep  you  out  of  fire  ;  you  have  your 

*  "fitats  de  situation."  This  is  n  technical  expression,  denoting  a  return 
of  the  force,  position,  and  other  details  of  each  corps  of  an  army.  I  shall 
translate  it  in  future  by  the  word  "  return." — TR. 


FEB.  1806.  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  87 

reputation  to  make  if  there  should  be  an  opportunity.  Place 
yourself  conspicuously  :  as  to  real  danger,  in  war  it  is  every 
where.  » 

[  1 20.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  4, 1306. 

My  Brother, — I  hope  that  at  this  instant  you  are  marching 
on  Naples.  I  need  not  tell  you  to  issue  no  bulletin,  nor  commu 
nicate  anything  with  respect  to  the  army  of  Naples  to  the  public. 
Send  me  the  details,  that  I  may  see  what  ought  to  be  published. 
Whatever  is  official  ought  properly  to  be  addressed  to  the  minis 
ter  of  war. 

[121.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  7,1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  28th  of 
January.  I  thoroughly  approve  your  answer  to  the  Prince  Royal 
of  Naples ;  a  stop  must  be  put  to  all  such  absurdities.*  Your 
drafts  on  Paris  will  be  regularly  paid.  I  am  surprised  at  the 
bad  state  of  your  artillery,  and  at  your  general  want  of  supplies. 
This  comes  of  generals  who  think  only  of  robbing ;  keep  a  strict 
hand  over  them  I  ask  from  you  only  one  thing, — be  master.  I 
am  anxious  to  hear  that  you  are  at  Naples.  I  approve  of  your 
delaying  for  a  few  days  ;  everything  requires  time  ;  I  agree  with 
you  that  it  is  better  to  begin  a  day  or  two  later  and  go  straight 
forward.  March  on  boldly.  In  your  endeavours  to  improve 
the  condition  of  your  army  on  their  way  to  Naples,  you  will  be 
doing  what  I  wish.  Give  me  an  account  of  the  loans  which  you 
have  made,  and  of  the  drafts  that  you  have  drawn,  distinguish 
ing  private  loans  from  drafts,  that  I  may  pay  the  former  out  of 
my  own  purse,  and  the  latter  by  the  treasury.  You  cannot  have 
too  many  staff-officers.  When  you  enter  Naples,  proclaim  that 
you  will  suffer  no  private  contributions  to  be  raised,  that  the 
whole  army  will  be  rewarded,  and  that  it  is  not  right  that  only  a 

*  The  King  and  Queen  offered  to  abdicate  in  favour  of  the  Prince.  Joseph 
answered  that  it  was  too  late  ;  that  he  came  to  execute  Napoleon's  orders,  not 
to  treat.— TR. 


gg  [INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  CHAP.  V 

few  individuals  should  be  enriched  by  the  exertions  of  all.  I  do 
not  see  that  you  have  as  yet  chosen  any  aides-de-camp  of  unques 
tionable  ability ;  take  one  engineer  and  one  artillery  officer. 

Fox  is  at  the  Foreign-office,  Glrenville  at  the  Home-office, 
Spencer  at  the  Admiralty,  Addington .  Chancellor  of  the  Exche 
quer,  Hawkesbury  at  the  Treasury,  Wyndham  Minister  of  War, 
Sheridan  Treasurer  of  the  Navy. 

You  know  England  well  enough  to  form  some  idea  of  what 
this  may  lead  to.  I  am  well  pleased  with  my  affairs  here ;  it 
gave  me  great  trouble  to  bring  them  into  order,  and  to  force  a 
dozen  rogues,  at  whose  head  is  Ouvrard,  to  refund.  Barbe-Mar- 
bois  has  been  duped  just  as  the  Cardinal  de  Rohan  was  duped  in 
the  affair  of  the  necklace,  with  the  difference  that  in  this  case 
more  than  90  millions  were  in  question.  J  had  made  up  my  mind 
to  have  them  shot  without  trial.  Thank  Glod  I  have  been  repaid. 
This  has  put  me  somewhat  out  of  humour.  I  tell  you  about  jt 
that  you  may  see  how  dishonest  men  are.  You,  who  are  now  at 
the  head  of  a  great  army,  and  will  soon  be  at  that  of  a  great 
administration,  ought  to  be  aware  of  this.  Roguery  has  been  the 
cause  of  all  the  misfortunes  of  France.  M.  d'Haugwitz  is  here  ; 
we  have  not  yet  come  to  an  understanding.  The  court  of  Prussia 
is  very  false  and  very  stupid.  All  my  army  is  still  in  Germany. 
I  shall  l)e  glad,  if  possible,  to  hear,  before  March,  of  your  enter 
ing  Naples,  because  that  is  the  time  fixed  for  me  to  open  the 
legislative  body,  and  for  my  troops  to  cross  the  Inn ;  it  will  have 
become  an  old  story.  There  must  be  no  evasion  or  hesitation. 
The  Bourbons  have  ceased  to  reign  in  Naples.  What  I  have 
said  in  my  proclamation  is  unalterable.  Send  me  the  returns  of 
all  your  army. 

Schimmelpenninck  no  longer  sees  clearly ;  he  has  quite  lost 
his  judgment.  When  you  speak  of  Naples,  remember  that  the 
same  family  reigns  in  Spain,  and  take  care  to  say  nothing  that 
may  offend  them. 

I  take  the  greatest  interest  in  your  prosperity,  and  particu 
larly  in  your  glory ;  in  your  position  it  is  the  first  of  wants, 
without  it  life  can  have  no  charm.  I  have  sent  Mathieu  Dumas 
into  Dalmatia.  I  hope  that  he  has  reached  you.  I  doubt,  how- 


FEB.  1806.  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  89 

ever,  his  being  as  useful  as  you  think.  He  has  no  military  ex 
perience  ;  but  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  that  he  is  with  you.  Mar 
quis  Gallo  starts  in  a  few  days.  He  will  be  the  first  that  will 
swear  fealty  to  you. 

[122.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  9,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  your  letter  of  the  31st  of  January. 
I  repeat,  keep  all  your  troops  together,  so  that  they  may  be 
always  able  to  make  a  junction  in  one  day.  The  great  thing  is 
to  take  Naples.  Naples  taken,  everything  falls,  and  a  province 
which  could  not  have  been  conquered  by  two  regiments  will 
submit  to  a  company.  Keep  the  corps  of  General  Lecchi  within 
reach  of  your  centre  :  as  the  English  and  Russians  have  em 
barked,  there  is  nothing  to  stop  you.  March  then  straight  on 
Naples.  General  St.  Cyr  must  by  this  time  have  returned  to 
your  army.  The  instant  that  I  saw  him  at  my  levee  I  ordered 
him  to  set  off.  I  would  not  hear  a  word  from  him.  Be  strict 
with  everybody.  The  return  which  you  have  sent  me  is  not  clear. 
I  do  not  see  the  position  of  General  Gardanne's  division,  nor  his 
force.  Let  Caesar  Berthier  take  the  trouble  to  give  me  regular 
returns,  with  the  artillery,  the  horses,  &c.  &c.,  and  not  mere  re 
sults,  which  tell  nothing.  The  returns  of  my  armies  form  the 
most  agreeable  portion  of  my  library.  They  are  the  volumes 
which  I  read  with  the  greatest  pleasure  in  my  moments  of  re 
laxation. 

I  see  already  in  those  which  you  have  sent  to  me  traces  of  the 
disorder  which  Masscna  produces  everywhere.  I  see  companies 
that  do  not  properly  belong  to  the  army  of  Naples.  This  care 
lessness  will  at  last  derange  the  administration  of  the  army,  and 
destroy  its  discipline.  Send  me  perfectly  accurate  returns.  I 
am  going  to  employ  myself  in  sending  to  you  artillery  and  artil 
lerymen.  You  will  have  many  fortresses  to  garrison. 

[  1 23.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb  9,  1806. 

My  Brother, — Captain  Jacob  must  by  this  time  have  reached 
Naples  to  command  your  navy.  I  put  at  his  disposition  all  the 
frigates  and  light  vessels  that  I  can  spare.  The  Minister  of 


90  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  CHAP.  Y. 

Marine  is  writing  to  inform  him  of  the  orders  which  I  have 
given.  I  have  directed  a  trustworthy  accountant  to  be  sent  to 
you  to  act  as  Receiver-General.  You  can  name  a  Neapolitan 
Minister  of  Finance.  Appoint  Miot  Minister  of  War,  if,  as  I 
suppose,  he  has  your  confidence.  I  shall  send  also  two  or  three 
safe  young  men  for  your  Audit  Office. 


T 124.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  9,  1806. 

My  Brother, — If  you  find  in  Rome  a  Russian  minister  ac 
credited  to  the  Sardinian  Court,  or  any  Sardinian  minister,  send 
them  away.  The  first  thing  to  do  when  you  reach  Naples  is  to 
keep  in  place  all  those  who  are  in  the  employment  of  the  Govern 
ment.  The  next  is  to  efi?ect  a  general  disarming,  then  to  appoint 
a  good  Minister  of  Police,  to  drive  all  foreigners  from  Naples, 
and  to  seize  all  the  English  merchandise  in  the  kingdom.  Let 
the  three  or  four  Tuscans  who  have  always  been  the  most  de 
voted  agents  of  M.  Acton*  be  arrested,  and  send  them  to  Fenes- 
trelle,  whither  you  may  send  all  whom  you  find  troublesome. 

Above  all,  do  not  lose  a  day  or  an  hour  in  trying  to  seize 
Sicily ;  many  things  will  be  easy  in  the  first  moment,  and  difficult 
afterwards.  I  have  directed  several  ships  to  Civita  Vecchia,  to 
be  sent  on  to  you  at  Naples ;  but  I  fear  that  it  may  be  some  time 
before  they  arrive.  I  think  that  you  may  appoint,  if  you  think 
fit,  Salicetti  Minister  of  Police. 

Take  the  title  of  Governor  General,  and  begin  all  your  public 
acts  in  this  form  : 

"  By  the  Grace  of  God,  and  the  Constitution  of  the  Empire, 
Napoleon,  Emperor  of  the  French,  King  of  Italy  ;  Joseph,  Great 
Elector,  Governor-General  of  the  Kingdoms  of  Naples  and  Sicily, 
in  virtue  of  the  powers  delegated  to  us  by  our  august  Brother 
and  Sovereign,  have  ordered  and  do  order  as  follows."! 

When  you  have  taken  Naples,  and  all  looks  settled,  I  will 
communicate-  to  you  my  plans  for  getting  you  acknowledged 
King  of  Naples. 

*  Tlie  Neapolitan  Prime  Minister. — TR. 

t  I  am  not  responsible  for  the  grammar  of  this  sentence. 


FBB.  1806.  INVASION  OF  NAPLES.  g  J 

[125.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  14, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  ordered  Cardinal  Fesch  to  require  the 
Russians,  the  English,  the  Swedes,  and  the  Sardinians,  to  be  sent 
out  of  Rome,  and  out  of  the  Papal  territory.  Give  him  military 
assistance  if  it  is  necessary,  for  I  intend  to  drive  them  out  of 
Italy.  The  Holy  See  was  very  absurd  the  other  day  in  wishing 
to  keep  Jackson  in  Rome. 

I  hope  that  you  are  now  in  Naples ;  you  have  been  too  long 
about  it.  It  is  time  to  make  an  end  of  it.  As  for  your  plan  of 
campaign,  now  that  the  English  and  Russians  are  gone,  your 
march  on  Naples  is  not  objectionable.  It  would  have  been 
different  if  their  army  had  been  equal  to  yours.  Your  army  is 
too  scattered.  It  ought  always  to  march  so  as  to  be  able  to  con 
centrate  itself  in  one  day  on  a  field  of  battle.  With  1 5,000  men 
I  could  be  superior  on  the  day  of  battle,  and  beat  your  36,000  ; 
but  your  dispositions  do  no  harm  in  the  present  state  of  things. 
I  am  anxious  to  hear  that  you  are  at  Naples. 


[12G.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  17,  1806. 

My  Brother, — In  the  returns  which  you  have  sent  to  me,  you 
do  not  mention  the  10th,  20th,  102nd  regiments  of  the  line ;  the 
14th  and  23rd  light  infantry;  the  7th,  23rd,  24th,  29th,  and  30th 
dragoons ;  nor  the  dragoons  of  Napoleon  and  of  the  Queen  be 
longing  to  the  army  of  Italy.  These  regiments  ought  to  have 
joined  you  by  this  time,  and  to  have  raised  your  army  to  40,000 
men.  Send  me  a  regular  return,  battalion  by  battalion,  company 
by  company,  and  squadron  by  squadron. 


[127.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  18,  1806. 

My  Brother, — Your  letter  of  the  8th  of  February  has  reached 
me.  You  must  have  received  my  proclamation  to  my  army  at 
Schonbrunn,  which  I  had  kept  in  reserve.  Caution  is  no  longer 
necessary.  You  are  already  master  of  Naples,  and  on  the  point 


92  INSTRUCTIONS  FOE  THE  CHAP.  V. 

of  taking  Sicily  by  surprise  ;  this  is  your  chief  aim.  The  Neapo 
litan  arrangements  are  already  approved  by  Prussia.  You  should 
entitle  your  acts  "  Joseph  Napoleon ;"  you  need  not  add  "  Bona 
parte."  * 


[  128.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  25, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  14th.  I 
congratulate  you  on  the  surrender  of  Naples  and  of  the  other 
places.  I  have  ordered  the  Neapolitan  officers  who  are  in  Paris 
and  in  my  kingdom  of  Italy  to  be  sent  to  you :  you  may  have  all 
of  them. 


[  129.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  27,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  ordered  500,000  francs,  in  gold,  to  be 
sent  from  Milan  to  Naples.  I  am  sorry  that  your  bill  was  pro 
tested,  especially  if  it  was  in  your  name,  or  if  there  was  a  letter 
from  you.  It  would  have  been  easy  to  pay  it  by  bills  of  exchange 
on  Paris.  I  am  waiting  for  your  next  courier  to  tell  you  to  take 
the  title  of  King  of  Naples.  You  may  in  the  mean  while  give 
the  name  of  ministers  to  those  whom  you  appoint  members  of  the 
government.  I  have  already  told  you  that  you  may  have  all  the 
Neapolitan  officers  whom  you  like.  By  this  time  you  can  no 
longer  be  in  want  of  money.  Disarm  Naples,  and  levy  a  contri 
bution  of  10  millions  upon  the  town ;  it  will  be  easily  paid.  You 
may  safely  resort  to  the  expedient  of  confiscating  all  the  English 
merchandise.  The  loss  will  fall  upon  the  part  of  the  nation  which 
deserves  least  consideration.  I  have  sent  you  some  naval  officers. 
I  congratulate  you  upon  your  reconciliation  with  St.  Januarius.f 
But  I  suppose  that,  notwithstanding  this,  you  have  occupied  the 
forts ;  that  you  have  taken  care  to  garrison  and  to  provision  them ; 

*  From  this  time  the  Bonaparte  family  changed  their  name  to  that  of 
Napoleon. — ED. 

t  Joseph  had  presented  St.  Januarius  with  a  diamond  necklace. — TB. 


MARCH,  1806.  GOVEENMENT  OF  NAPLES.  93 

that  you  have  disarmed  the  town,  and  been  rather  severe  in  your 
government.  Many  things  belonging  to  the  palaces  have  been 
removed  and  concealed.  You  ought  to  get  them  restored.  Dis 
arm  the  populace;  send  away  all  strangers,  the  Russians,  the 
English,  and  even  the  Italians  who  are  not  Neapolitans. 
Make  your  army  rich,  but  do  not  let  them  rob. 


[  130.  ]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  2, 1806. 

My  Brother, — Tascher  has  brought  me  your  letter  of  the  18th 
of  February.  If  the  convicts  are  in  your  way,  you  can  very  well 
send  them  to  France.  Begin  by  sending  home  all  the  Jesuits ; 
there  can  be  few  Neapolitans  among  them.  I  do  not  acknowledge 
that  order.  Miot  must  have  arrived  by  this  time.  I  have  sent 
five  or  six  accountants  to  you ;  they  are  young  men  of  undoubted 
probity  and  of  ability.  Captain  Jacob,  a  distinguished  naval 
officer  whom  I  sent  to  you,  must  have  joined  you.  Dismiss 
Sibille,  he  is  a  thief.  I  have  ordered  General  Radet,  who  is  at 
Milan,  to  go  to  Naples  to  organise  and  command  your  national 
guard.  Neither  Berthier  nor  Saligny  is  better  than  the  present 
head  of  your  staff. 

It  seems  to  me  often  that  your  ideas  of  men  are  somewhat 
false.  You  must  see  them  near  to  judge  of  them.  I  hope  that 
you  occupy  all  the  forts,  and  that  you  have  had  them  provisioned. 
Be  inflexible  with  the  peculators.  Arcambal  must  have  reached 
you.  I  have  ordered  Dalbreton  to  Naples.  Take  any  head  of 
your  staff  that  you  prefer.  I  have  desired  Colonel  Gentili  to  go 
to  Naples  I  hope  that  you  will  be  satisfied  with  Radet.  As  for 
your  flag,  I  scarcely  know  what  to  say.  You  know  what  sort  of  peo 
ple  the  Turks  are.  I  have  forced  them  to  acknowledge  the  kingdom 
of  Italy.  Tell  the  Neapolitans  that,  sooner  or  later,  their  flag  will 
be  respected.  Try  to  make  them  accept  mine ;  the  naval  men 
will  tell  you  how  to  manage  it.  We  are  writing  to  Algiers  and 
to  Tunis.  I  send  you  Forfait  as  a  maritime  prefect.  Employ 
him  as  you  think  fit.  I  approve  much  of  all  your  selections.  I 
have  desired  all  the  Neapolitans  in  the  kingdom  of  Italy  to  be 


94  INSTRUCTIONS  FOE  THE  CIIAV.  V. 

sent  to  you.  Mass6na  has  robbed  wherever  he  could.  Let  him 
be  advised  to  return  three  millions.  Salisetti  will  do  this  for 
you.  Let  him  see  Massena,  and  tell  him  that  S has  for 
mally  admitted  that  Massena  received  three  millions  as  a  gift ; 
that,  if  they  are  not  returned,  in  the  accounts  which  I  shall 
publish  in  May  of  the  contributions  levied  by  the  army  I  shall 
debit  him  with  this  sum,  and  add  the  proofs,  and  name  a  com 
mission  of  seven  officers  to  oblige  him  to  restore  it.  It  is  a  very 
serious  matter. 

You  are  too  cautious.  Naples  can  well  give  you  four  or  five  mil 
lions.  I  open  the  session  to-morrow.  Announce  my  speedy  arri 
val  at  Naples.  It  is  so  far  off  that  I  do  not  dare  to  promise  you 
that  I  shall  go,  but  there  is  no  harm  in  announcing  it,  both  for 
the  sake  of  the  army  and  of  the  people.  General  Dumas'  first 
order  was  to  go  to  Dalmatia.  The  order  to  go  to  Naples  missed 
him.  I  have  repeated  it.  Sebastiani  has  not  yet  recovered  from 
his  wound. 

Your  troubles  are  what  always  occur.  Never  go  out  without 
guards.  Form  your  guard  of  four  regiments  of  chasseurs  and 
hussars,  with  two  battalions  of  grenadiers  taken  from  the  gre 
nadiers  of  the  army,  and  a  company  of  light  artillery.  In  all 
your  calculations  assume  this :  that,  a  fortnight  sooner  or  a  fort 
night  later,  you  will  have  an  insurrection.  It  is  an  event  of 
uniform  occurrence  in  a  conquered  country.  I  am  not  sure  that 
you  may  not  be  able  to  make  use  of  Alquier  and  David,  who  are 
at  Rome ;  send  for  them.  There  are  several  consuls  from  Sicily 
in  the  Neapolitan  states.  You  can  send  back  Bavastro  and 
Sibille  without  the  intervention  of  the  minister  of  Marine.  Let 
Captain  Jacob  give  them  notice  that  I  order  them  back  to  France. 
Whatever  you  do,  the  mere  force  of  opinion  will  not  maintain 
you  in  a  city  like  Naples.*  Take  care  that  there  are  mortars  in 
the  forts  and  troops  in  reserve  to  punish  speedily  an  insurrection. 
Disarm,  and  do  it  quickly.  General  St.  Cyr  ought  to  have 

*  Joseph  had  said  in  his  letter  of  the  18th  February,  1806,  "  This  town 
appears  to  me  to  be  more  populous  than  Paris.  I  can  maintain  my  position 
only  by  the  assistance  of  public  opinion." — TR. 


MAECH,  1806.  GOVERNMENT  OF  NAPLES.  95 

reached  you ;  lie  is  not  without  experience,  and  will  be  of  use. 
I  have  sent  to  you  Generals  Donzelot  and  Larnarque,  two  dis 
tinguished  men.  Donzelot  is  fit  to  be  the  head  of  a  staff.  I  do 
not  know  how  far  he  would  be  better  than  Caesar  Berthier ;  you 
will  be  more  sure  of  the  attachment  of  Berthier.  I  presume 
that  you  have  cannon  in  your  palaces,  and  take  all  proper  pre 
cautions  for  your  safety.  You  cannot  watch  too  narrowly  those 
about  you.  The  presumption  and  carelessness  of  the  French  is 
unequalled.  Gallo  must  have  reached  you ;  he  professes  bound 
less  devotion.  You  may  keep  the  officer  of  gendarmerie  who 
carries  this  letter.  He  is  clever,  and  may  serve  you  in  the 
police. 

All  the  troubles  under  which  you  are  suffering  belong  to  your 
position.  Disarm,  disarm.  iCeep  order  in  that  immense  city. 
Keep  your  artillery  in  positions  where  the  mob  cannot  seize  them. 
Reckon  on  a  riot  or  a  small  insurrection.  I  wish  that  I  could 
give  you  the  benefit  of  my  experience  in  these  matters,  but  I  see 
from  the  little  that  Tascher  tells  me  that  you  will  get  well  out  of 
them. 

[  131.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  6,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  your  letter  of  the  22nd  of  February. 
Let  the  lazzaroni  who  use  the  dagger  be  shot  without  mercy.  It 
is  only  by  a  salutary  terror  that  you  will  keep  in  awe  an  Italian 
populace.  The  least  that  the  conquest  of  Naples  must  do  for  you 
is  to  afford  supplies  to  your  army  of  40,000  men.  Lay  a  contri 
bution  of  30  millions  on  the  whole  kingdom.  Your  conduct 
wants  decision  :  your  soldiers  and  your  generals  ought  to  live  in 
plenty.  Of  course  you  will  call  together  the  priests,  and  declare 
them  responsible  for  any  disorder.  The  lazzaroni  must  have 
chiefs ;  they  must  answer  for  the  rest.  Whatever  you  do,  you 
will  have  an  insurrection.  Disarm.  You  say  nothing  about  the 
forts  :  if  necessary,  do  as  I  did  in  Cairo ;  prepare  three  or  four 
batteries  whose  shells  can  reach  every  part  of  Naples.  You  may 
not  use  them,  but  their  mere  existence  will  strike  terror.  The 
kingdom  of  Naples  is  not  exhausted ;  you  can  always  get  money, 


96  INSTRUCTIONS  FOE  THE  CIIAP.  V 

since  there  are  royal  fiefs  and  taxes  which  have  been  granted 
away.  Take  care  not  to  confirm  these  ancient  abuses.  In  a 
fortnight  or  three  weeks,  by  a  decree  of  yours  or  of  mine,  they 
must  all  be  repealed.  Every  alienation  of  the  royal  domains,  or 
of  the  taxes,  though  its  existence  may  be  immemorial,  must  be 
annulled,  and  a  system  of  taxation,  equal  and  severe,  must  be 
established.  Naples,  even  without  Sicily,  ought  to  give  you  100 
millions.*  It  does  not,  because  the  old  system  of  the  Spanish 
kings,  when  they  governed  through  Viceroys,  has  been  followed. 
I  have  sent  to  you  naval  officers,  and  as  many  ships  as  I  could. 
They  will  not  arrive  as  soon  as  might  be  wished,  but  they  will 
arrive.  I  have  ordered  1,200,000  rations  of  biscuit  to  be  sent  to 
you  from  Toulon.  You  have  no  money,  but  you  have  a  good  army 
and  a  good  country  to  supply  you.  Prepare  for  the  siege  of 
Gaeta.  You  speak  of  the  insufficiency  of  your  military  force  : 
two  regiments  of  cavalry,  two  battalions  of  light  infantry,  and  a 
company  of  artillery  could  put  to  flight  all  the  mob  of  Naples. 
But  the  first  of  all  things  is  to  have  money,  and  you  can  get  it 
only  in  Naples.  A  contribution  of  30  millions  will  provide  for 
everything,  and  put  you  at  your  ease.  Tell  me  something  about 
the  forts.  I  presume  that  they  command  the  town,  and  that  you 
have  put  provisional  commandants  into  them.  You  must  set 
about  organising  a  gendarmerie.  You  feel  on  entering  Naples  as 
every  one  feels  on  entering  a  conquered  country.  Naples  is 
richer  than  Vienna,  and  not  so  exhausted.  Milan  itself,  when  I 
entered  it,  had  not  a  farthing.  Once  more,  expect  no  money 
from  me.  The  500,000  francs  in  gold  which  I  sent  to  you  are 
the  last  that  I  shall  send  to  Naples.  I  care  not  so  much  about 
three  or  four  millions  as  about  the  principle.  Raise  30  millions, 
pay  your  army,  treat  well  your  generals  and  commanders,  put 
your  materiel  f  in  order. 

*  Four  millions  sterling. 

t  Material  is  a  technical  term  signifying  all  that  belongs  to  an  army 
except  the  men :  they  are  called  the  personnel. — TR. 


MAECH,  1802.  GOVEENMENT  OF  NAPLES.  97 

[132.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  8, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  see  that  by  one  of  your  proclamations  you 
promise  to  impose  no  war  contribution,  and  that  you  forbid  your 
soldiers  to  require  those  who  lodge  them  to  feed  them.  It  seems 
to  me  that  your  measures  are  too  narrow.  It  is  not  by  being  civil 
to  people  that  you  obtain  a  hold  on  theLj.  This  is  not  the  way  to 
get  the  means  to  reward  your  army  properly.  Raise  30  millions 
from  the  kingdom,  of  Naples.  Pay  well  your  army;  remount 
well  your  cavalry  and  your  trains ;  have  shoes  and  clothes  made. 
This  cannot  be  done  without  money.  As  for  me,  it  would  be  too 
absurd  if  the  conquest  of  Naples  did  not  put  my  army  at  its  ease. 
It  is  impossible  that  you  should  keep  within  the  bounds  which 
you  profess.  Back  yourself  if  you  like  by  an  order  of  mine.  I 
have  already  said  to  you,  and  I  repeat,  do  not  engage  to  maintain 
the  ancient  fiefs  and  alienations.  It  is  necessary  to  establish  in 
Naples  a  land-tax  and  stamp-duties  as  in  France.  If  fiefs  are  to 
be  given,  it  must  be  to  Frenchmen  who  support  your  crown.  I 
do  not  hear  that  you  have  shot  any  of  the  lazzaroni,  although  I 
know  that  they  have  used  their  daggers.  If  you  do  not  begin  by 
making  yourself  feared,  you  will  suffer  for  it.  The  imposition  of 
a  land-tax  will  not  produce  the  eifect  which  you  apprehend ; 
everybody  expects  it,  and  will  think  it  quite  natural.  At  Vienna 
where  there  was  supposed  not  to  be  a  farthing,  and  they  hoped 
that  I  should  not  levy  a  contribution,  a  few  days  after  my  arrival 
I  levied  one  of  100  millions:  it  was  thought  very  reasonable. 
Your  proclamations  have  not  enough  the  style  of  a  master;  you 
will  gain  nothing  by  spoiling  the  Neapolitans.  The  people  of 
Italy,  and  in  fact  of  every  other  country,  if  they  do  not  feel  that 
they  are  mastered,  are  disposed  to  rebel  and  to  murmur.  Bear 
in  mind  that,  if  circumstances  have  not  permitted  you  to  make 
any  grand  military  manoauvres,  you  may  get  the  reputation  of 
having  maintained  your  army,  and  of  having  made  the  country  in 
which  you  are  furnish  you  with  everything  that  you  want.  This 
is  a  great  portion  of  the  art  of  war.  About  40  Neapolitans,  men 
of  letters,  or  possessing  some  other  merit,  have  received  orders  to 

VOL.  I.— 5 


98  INSTEUCTIONS  FOE  THE  CHAP.  V. 

go  to  Naples.  Most  of  them  are  respectable  people,  who  will  be 
useful  to  you.  You  will  not  be  able  for  a  long  while  to  dispense 
with  the  assistance  of  the  French  army.  I  shall  send  you  large 
reinforcements. 

The  new  English  Cabinet  appears  to  entertain  more  rational 
opinions  than  the  late  one,  if  I  may  judge  by  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Fox,  giving  notice  to  the  police  of  a  plot  to  assassinate  me.  He 
names  the  individual,  and  gives  some  details  of  the  way  in  which 
it  was  to  be  done ;  and  he  lets  us  know  that  it  is  at  the  express 
command  of  the  King  that  he  writes.  Prussia,  in  the  treaty 
which  I  have  just  concluded  with  her,  has  already  acknowledged 
you.  On  your  measures  during  the  next  three  months  will 
depend  the  ease  or  difficulty  of  your  administration  and  the  for 
tune  of  your  children.  You  must  find  out  abuses,  and  so  put 
an  end  to  the  national  debt.  I  will  manage  all  that  by  decrees, 
before  you  become  King  of  Naples.  You  will  have  in  hand  your 
contributions,  and  will  be  able  to  have  a  navy  and  an  army.  I 
-say  a  navy,  because  you  must  be  aware  that  your  communication 
with  Sicily,  and  the  protection  of  your  coasts  both  against  the 
Barbary  powers  and  the  English,  make  it  necessary  that  you 
should  have  at  least  three  ships  of  the  line  and  six  frigates.  My 
affairs  are  not  yet  quite  settled,  but  it  is  possible  that  I  may 
make  Louis  King  of  Holland.  It  is  more  certain  that  I  shall 
give  the  duchies  of  Cleves  and  of  Berg  to  Prince  Murat — in  fact, 
it  is  already  done. 

I  shall  leave  in  Naples  and  Sicily  only  as  many  troops  as  you 
are  willing  to  maintain,  and  as  you  think  necessary  to  your  safety. 
In  my  opinion,  you  will  not  be  able  for  many  years  to  keep  less 
than  30,000  French  soldiers  in  the  two  countries.  But  this  may 
be  done  by  keeping  the  companies  at  their  fullest,  which  will 
save  money.  If  20,000  are  enough,  I  shall  be  glad. 

The  English  have  taken  the  Cape  of  (rood  Hope. 

Make  no  engagements  which  may  be  mischievous  to  your 
future  reign.  Send  to  me  all  that  is  necessary  for  deciding  on 
the  unpopular  measures,  consequent  on  the  rights  of  conquest; 
which  must  be  taken,  doing  as  little  harm  as  possible  to  the 
country. 


MAUCH,  1806.  GOVERNMENT  OF  NAPLES.  99 

You  must  establish  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  a  certain  number 
of  French  families,  holding  fiefs  either  carved  out  of  domains  of 
the  Crown,  or  taken  from  their  present  possessors,  or  from  the 
monks  by  diminishing  the  number  of  convents.  In  my  opinion 
your  throne  will  have  no  solidity  unless  you  surround  it  with  a 
hundred  generals,  colonels,  and  others  attached  to  your  house, 
possessing  great  fiefs  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples  and  Sicily.  Ber- 
nadotte  and  Mass6na  should  I  think  be  fixed  in  Naples,  with 
the  title  of  princes,  and  with  large  revenues.  Enable  them  to 
found  great  families  :  I  do  this  in  Piedmont,  the  kingdom  of 
Italy,  and  Parma.  In  these  countries  and  in  Naples  300  or  400 
French  military  men  ought  to  be  established  with  property  de 
scending  by  primogeniture.  In  a  few  years  they  will  marry  into 
the  principal  families,  and  your  throne  will  be  strong  enough  to 
do  without  a  French  army :  a  point  which  must  be  reached.  In 
the  discussions  between  Naples  and  France,  France  will  never 
desire  to  supply  Naples  with  more  troops  than  are  absolutely 
necessary.  She  will  always  wish  to  keep  them  together  to  meet 
her  other  enemies.  I  intend  to  give  Dalrnatia  to  a  prince,  as 
well  as  Neufchatel,  which  Prussia  has  ceded  to  me. 

There  are  about  100  old  gardes-du-corps  nere,  good  men,  who 
may  be  useful  in  your  body-guard,  mixed  with  the  Neapolitan 
nobles. 

I  presume  that  you  are  marching  on  Sicily. 

Do  not  lose  an  instant  in  dividing  your  territory  into  military 
divisions  or  governments,  and  into  intendencies  or  prefectures. 
Naples  alone,  without  Sicily,  might  be  distributed  into  at  least 
twelve  prefectures  or  departments.  Four  courts  of  appeal  would 
probably  be  more  than  enough. 


[133.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  12,  1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  have  sent  to  you  500,000  francs  in  gold,  of 
the  kingdom  of  Italy,  and  I  have  ordered  that  the  500,000  which 
you  have  drawn  for  shall  be  paid  out  of  a  sum  of  2,700,000 
francs.  This  is  all  that  I  can  do  for  the  army  of  Naples.  My 
armies  are  very  numerous ;  they  are  coming  home,  and  cost 


100  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  THE  CHAP.  V 

enormous  sums ;  so  does  my  fleet.  I  can  meet  no  new  expense. 
Up  to  this  time  your  Neapolitan  administration  has  been  too  lax. 
That  is  not  the  way  to  manage  such  a  people.  The  only  civilians 
whom  I  have  sent  to  you  are  some  auditors — young  men  who  will 
learn  Italian  quickly,  and  are  honest. 

It  is  absolutely  impossible  that  I  should  send  you  1,500,000 
francs  a  month  for  the  army  of  Naples.  Levy  a  war  contribution 
of  30,000,000  on  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  It  is  strange  that  it 
gives  only  a  third  of  what  I  get  from  the  kingdom  of  Italy.  You 
are  too  kind.  That  is  not  the  way  to  begin  an  administration. 
However,  settle  your  affairs  so  as  to  provide  for  yourself.  Take 
the  properties  of  all  those  who  have  followed  the  Court. 

I  send  you  a  copy  of  a  decree  requiring  the  sums  of  which  the 

Treasury  has  been  robbed  to  be  repaid.  Massena  and  S 

have  stolen  6,400,000  francs.  They  shall  repay  to  the  last 
farthing. 

Your  bills  of  exchange  shall  be  paid.  Send  me  the  account 
of  them,  for  a  sum  of  2,700,000  francs,  which  had  been  lost  sight 
of,  has  been  restored. 

Let  Massena  be  advised  to  return  the  6,000,000.  To  do  so 
quickly  is  his  own  salvation.  If  he  does  not,  I  shall  send  a 
Military  Commission  of  Inquiry  to  Padua,  for  such  robbery  is 
intolerable.  To  suffer  the  soldiers  to  starve  and  to  be  unpaid, 
and  to  pretend  that  the  sums  destined  for  their  use  were  a 
present  to  himself  from  the  province,  is  too  impudent.  Such 

conduct  would  make  it  impossible  to  carry  on  a  war.  Let  S 

be  watched.  The  details  of  their  plunderings  are  incredible.  I 
learn  them  from  the  Austrians,  who  themselves  are  ashamed 
of  them.  They  allowed  corn  to  go  to  Venice.  The  evil  is 
intolerable.  The  remedy  I  will  apply.  I  order  Ardent  to  be 
arrested.  He  must  be  in  Paris  or  in  Milan.  He  is  an  agent  of 

S .  If  he  should  be  at  Naples,  have  him  arrested,  and  sent 

under  a  good  escort  to  Paris.  You  have  seen  that  Flachat  has 
been  condemned  to  a  year's  imprisonment  in  irons,  and  that  his 
transactions  have  been  declared  void. 


MARCH,  1806.  GOVERNMENT  OF  NAPLES.  101 

[134.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  12, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  the  return  of  your  army  up  to 
the  1st  of  March.  I  hope  that  your  troops  by  this  time  occupy 
all  the  posts  .within  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  You  have  artillery 
at  Capua  and  in  Naples.  You  need  have  no  difficulty  in  be 
sieging  Gaeta.  Do  not  waste  your  cannonades.  Place  thirty  or 
forty  pieces  of  cannon  in  battery,  and  let  your  park  be  so  supplied 
as  to  keep  up  a  continued  fire.  Eight  or  ten  days  of  open 
trenches  will  put  you  in  possession  of  the  town,  even  supposing 
it  to  make  so  long  a  defence.  You  must  try,  if  possible,  by 
batteries  placed  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  to  intercept  their 
communication  with  the  sea.  Nothing  will  frighten  or  dispirit 
them  more. 

Your  draft  for  500,000  francs  shall  be  paid.  Jams  was  writ 
ten  to  on  the  receipt  of  your  letter. 

You  have  40,000  men ;  that  is  more  than  enough  to  conquer 
Sicily  and  Naples. 

Fesch  will  have  told  your  of  my  disputes  with  the  Court  of 
Rome.  I  do  not  intend  that  Court  to  receive  a  minister  from  any 
power  with  which  I  am  at  war.  On  this  condition  only  it  shall 
retain  its  independence  and  sovereignty.  Use  the  same  language. 
Organise  your  kingdom  with  energy. 


[  135.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  18, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  the  return  of  the  Neapolitan  officers 
who  are  leaving  the  army  of  Italy  for  your  army.  I  see  by  it 
that  five  of  these  officers  belonged  to  my  guard.  They  are  tried 
officers,  and  you  may  trust  them.  The  army  of  Italy  regrets  the 
engineer  and  artillery  officers  whom  it  sends  to  you.  Employ 
them  according  to  their  rank,  and  promote  them  according  to 
their  seniority. 


1Q2  INSTBUCTIONS  FOE  THE  CHAP.  ? 

[136.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  20,  1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  7th  of 
March.  I  am  extremely  surprised  that  you  have  not  shot  the 
spies  of  the  King  of  Naples  who  have  been  thrown  on  shore. 
What  do  you  mean  me  to  do  with  them  at  Fenestrelle  ?  None 
but  abb6s  or  Englishmen  are  to  be  sent  thither ;  put  to  death  the 
leaders  of  the  mobs.  Your  administration  in  Naples  is  too  feeble. 
You  treat  that  populace  with  too  much  consideration.  I  cannot 
imagine  why  you  do  not  execute  the  laws.  Every  spy  should  be 
shot ;  every  lazzarone  who  stabs  a  soldier  should  be  shot.  The 
property  of  all  those  who  belonged  to  the  Court  should  be  con 
fiscated;  and,  if  what  the  papers  say  be  true,  that  you  have 
arrested  that  wretched  Castelcicala,  send  him  under  a  good  escort 
to  Fenestrelle,  and  confiscate  his  jewels  and  his  estates. 

As  for  Massena,  S was  desired  to  go  to  him,  and  I  hope 

that  he  will  restore  all  that  he  has  taken  from  the  military  chest 
of  the  grand  army :  his  theft  amounts  to  7,000,000  or  8,000,000. 
Make  an  example  of  some  of  the  officers ;  do  not  spare  even  the 
generals. 

The  7000  or  8000  convicts  that  you  have  are  not  dangerous 
at  Naples ;  they  would  become  so  if  they  escaped  to  the  Abruzzi. 
You  give  too  much  importance  to  a  mob  which  two  or  three 
battalions  and  a  few  pieces  of  cannon  would  bring  to  reason ;  it 
will  not  be  submissive  until  it  has  had  its  insurrection,  and  you 
have  made  some  severe  examples.  If  you  have  more  cavalry 
than  you  want,  send  it  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy.  However,  to 
say  the  truth,  I  cannot  conceive  how  in  a  country  like  Naples, 
the  Abruzzi,  and  Taranto,  where  it  can  spread  itself,  it  can  give 
you  trouble.  The  rapidity  of  its  movements  is  very  useful  in 
the  open  country. 

I  have  arranged  the  depots  for  your  army.  They  must  be 
left  in  Komagna  and  near  Bologna,  and  the  conscripts  taken  from 
them.  You  have  ten  times  as  many  troops  as  you  want :  6000 
men  are  more  than  enough  to  keep  down  the  kingdom  of  Naples. 
Show  vigour  and  make  examples.  I  repeat,  let  spies  be  shot, 


MARCH,  1806.  '  GOVERNMENT  OF  NAPLES.  1Q3 

and  not  sent  to  Fenestrelle.  Not  having  the  proofs,  I  do  not 
know  what  to  do  with  the  wretches.  Your  letters  tell  me  nothing; 
I  hear  nothing  from  you  about  the  sea.  I  do  not  know  if  the 
English  are  showing  themselves,  nor  the  troops  which  they  have 
on  the  Sicilian  coast.  You  move  much  too  slowly.  You  ought 
already  to  be  master  of  Sicily.  Do  not  fear  the  Russians ;  they 
can  do  you  no  harm.  I  hope  that  at  present  you  are  master  of 
Eeggio,  and  of  all  the  towns  on  the  continent.  In  war  loss  of 
time  is  irreparable.  The  excuses  that  are  made  for  it  are  always 
bad.  There  is  always  some  cause  of  delay. 


[137.3  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH 

Paris,  March  23, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  already  told  you  that  I  think  your 
operations  too  slow.  The  first  things  to  do  are  to  get  money  and 
to  make  severe  examples  of  the  assassins.  In  a  conquered  coun 
try  kindness  is  not  humane.  Many  Frenchmen  have  been  already 
assassinated.  As  a  general  rule  it  is  impolitic  to  appear  kind 
until  one  has  been  severe. 


[138.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  31,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  sent  you  Marshal  Jourdan,  to  be  em 
ployed  as  Governor  of  Naples.  They  have  alarmed  you  unneces 
sarily  about  this  fortress  of  Glaeta.  I  do  not  see  how  the  trans 
port  of  thirty  pieces  of  cannon,  with  their  ammunition,  will  cost 
so  much  money.  I  am  sorry  that  you  did  not  make  a  regular 
siege ;  a  bombardment  will  cost  you  more,  and  perhaps  uselessly. 
Nothing  is  so  expensive  as  a  bombardment,  if  it  is  kept  up.  A 
siege  is  much  more  certain.  I  do  not  know  what  to  do  in  France 
with  the  convicts  whom  you  have  sent  to  me ;  I  intend  to  send 
500  to  Palmanova,  and  500  to  Alexandria,  to  be  employed  on  the 
works.  You  must  go  on  quietly  in  your  creation  of  Neapolitan 
corps.  Do  not  raise  more  than  two  regiments,  or  you  will  have 
a  mob  that  will  run  at  the  first  cannon-shot. 

Many  abuses  take  place  in  the  conquered  countries  of  Italy. 


104  mSTEtJCTIONS  FOE  THE  CHAP.  V. 

There  were  none  with  the  grand  army.  General  Dumas  can  do 
nothing  with  such  bad  troops  as  the  Neapolitans. 

Four  millions  taken  by  Mass6na  have  been  found ;  two  more 
must  be  recovered.  I  could  not  have  paid  your  bills  of  exchange 
without  them.  There  is  nothing  sacred  about  the  azzendainenti,* 
for  there  is  nothing  sacred  after  a  conquest.  With  such  prin 
ciples  you  will  never  found  a  kingdom.  Your  government  of 
Naples  is  much  too  lax.  If  you  showed  more  vigour  your  army 
would  be  at  its  ease. 

You  must  not  send  back  all  the  Italian  regiments ;  you  might 
expose  them  to  unnecessary  marches.  I  do  not  see  my  way 
clearly  yet.  I  had  rather  you  would  send  back  to  the  kingdom 
of  Italy  two  or  three  French  regiments,  whichever  you  like,  but 
keep  the  Italians.  They  would  not  be  of  much  use  to  me  in  a 
great  war  against  Austria,  but  they  are  very  good  in  Naples, 
where  they  support  the  police,  are  faithful,  and  are  infinitely 
superior  to  the  Neapolitans.  Under  all  circumstances,  the  fewer 
French  troops  you  keep  in  Naples  the  better.  I  want  them  every 
where,  and  I  have  no  difficulty  in  feeding  and  paying  them. 
From  12,000  to  15,000  men  are  more  than  enough  to  take  Sicily. 
You  do  not  tell  me  if  you  are  master  of  Reggio  and  Taranto. 
Your  last  letter  is  of  the  18th.  You  have  been  then  more  than 
a  month  at  Naples.  You  go  on  very  slowly. 


[  139.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  81,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  think  it  right  to  bring  the  Neapolitan  busi 
ness  to  a  close.  The  opening  of  negotiations  with  England 
decides  me  not  to  lose  a  moment ;  for  while  a  negotiation  is  pend 
ing  every  new  event  is  troublesome.  A  deputation  of  three 
members  of  the  Senate,  one  of  whom  is  Rcederer,  is  to  wait  on 

*  The  azzendamenti  were  portions  of  the  public  revenue  alienated  to  in 
dividuals,  like  our  redeemed  land-tax.  Joseph  had  excused  himself  for  not 
confiscating  them  by  saying  that  they  possessed  all  the  sacredness  of  property, 
having  been  granted  to  individuals  in  consideration  of  sums  furnished  by  them 
to  the  state. — TR. 


MARCH,  1606.  GOVERNMENT  OF  NAPLES.  JQ5 

you.  Princess  Julie  is  already  treated  as  Her  Majesty.  The 
instant  the  deputation  from  the  Senate  reaches  you,  you  will  fire 
the  guns,  and  receive  the  fealty  of  your  subjects.  You  will  see 
that  I  have  created  six  fiefs  in  your  kingdom.  You  had  better, 
I  think,  give  the  best  to  Marshal  Bernadotte,  with  the  title  of 
Duke  of  Taranto.  I  have  given  Neufchatel  to  Berthier,  because 
I  ought  first  to  think  of  him  who  has  served  me  longest  and  who 
has  never  failed  me.  Your  connexion  with  Bernadotte,  whose 
children  are  your  nephews,  requires  you  to  give  him  some  privi 
leges  in  your  palace.  You  should  secure  him  400,000  or  500,000 
fr.  a  year.  The  Queen  of  Naples  did  as  much  for  Nelson.  I 
reward,  as  you  see,  and  I  intend  to  reward,  my  generals  and 
soldiers  nobly.  Be  inflexible,  and  let  no  one  rob. 


VOL.  I.-5* 


106  GOVERNMENT  OF  NAPLES.— PECULATION.  CHAP.  VI 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  10th  of 
April,  1806,  to  the  24th  of  July,  1806.  During  this  period 
Napoleon  was  in  Paris,  or  in  the  neighbourhood,  engaged  in  an 
abortive  negotiation  with  England,  and  in  a  negotiation  with 
Russia,  which  produced  the  treaty  signed  by  Oubril  in  opposition 
to  his  instructions,  and  not  ratified  by  Alexander. 

Joseph  was  employed  in  taking  possession  of  his  kingdom,  in 
the  siege  of  Gaeta,  and  in  the  defence  of  his  coasts. 


[  140.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malmaison,  April  10, 1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  27th  of 
March.     I  have  an  accurate  statement  of  the  sums  which  Mas- 

sena,  S the  paymaster,  and  the  other  officers  have  received. 

I  have  dismissed  S ,  who  was  at  the  bottom  of  this  disgrace 
ful  business.  Six  or  seven  millions  are  important  to  the  army. 
It  is  adding  absurdity  to  roguery  to  say  that  this  money  was  a 
present  from  the  new  governments.  Such  an  excuse  is  more  re 
volting  than  the  crime  itself.  Many  bills  are  drawn  upon  me 
from  Naples.  Recollect  that  I  have  enormous  expenses,  and  may 
be  unable  to  meet  them.  I  have  directed  the  2,900,000  fr.,  for 
which  you  told  me  a  month  ago  that  you  had  drawn  on  me,  to  be 
paid.  But  take  care  that  all  is  regularly  passed  through  the 
treasury.  There  are  forms  from  which  I  myself  am  not  exempted. 
The  safety  of  the  state  depends  on  them.  I  must  be  certain  that 


APRIL,  1806.  DEFENCE  OF  THE  COAST.  107 

when  my  troops  quit  the  kingdom  of  Naples  their  pay  is  not  in 
arrear. 

[141.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malmaison,  April  10, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  30th  of 
March.  I  am  glad  to  be  assured  that  my  troops  will  have  been 
paid  up  to  the  1st  of  April.  Henceforward  I  shall  not  be  able 
to  send  you  any  money. 

You  may  send  into  the  Pope's  territory  towards  Ancona  the 
regiments  which  you  do  not  want.  They  will  feed  themselves 
there.  I  think  in  fact  that  you  have  too  many  troops :  send 
away  4  out  of  your  14  regiments  of  infantry,  and  one  third  of  your 
cavalry.  This  will  enable  me  to  form  a  corps  of  reserve,  which 
will  be  fed  at  the  expense  of  the  Pope,  and  can  move  from  Ancona 
towards  the  Po,  or  on  any  other  point  where  its  services  may  be 
required.  When  I  have  received  your  answer  I  will  put  this 
reserve  under  a  distinguished  general. 


[142.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malmaison,  April  11, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  your  letter  of  the  2nd  of  April.  That 
of  Colonel  Lebrun  seems  to  me  to  be  written  in  a  disposition 
rather  to  exaggerate  difficulties  than  to  diminish  them.  Troops 
need  not  be  posted  along  the  roads,  but  it  is  necessary  to  be 
master  of  the  coast.  You  cannot  be  safe  at  Reggio  unless  you 
occupy  Cotrona,  Rossano,  Catanzaro,  Castella,  and  in  short  the 
whole  coast  on  either  side,  extending  towards  the  Gulfs  of  St. 
Euphemia  and  of  Squillace.  General  Reynier  seems  to  me  to 
have  conducted  his  march  imprudently.  Troops  should  have 
been  sent  to  take  possession  of  Cotrona,  Cosenza,  and  Castella, 
while  he  marched  on  Reggio. 

An  enemy  who  is  master  of  the  sea  will  always  disturb  the 
communications  of  your  army  if  you  are  not  master  of  the  coast. 
It  seeins  that  Calabria  is  55  leagues  long,  whilst  in  one  part  it  is 
only  8  or  9  broad,  and  in  another  less  than  15. 

You  must  have  a  governor  for  each  of  the  two   Calabrias. 


10g  NAPLES.— THE  AKMY.  CHVLP.  VI. 

You  should  have  commandants  on  the  principal  points  of  the 
coast,  and  should  establish  in  the  two  provinces  three  flying  camps 
of  700  or  800  men,  infantry  and  cavalry.  You  will  soon,  how 
ever,  remedy  these  little  temporary  inconveniences.  Towards 
Taranto  you  will  find  supplies  of  artillery. 

Marshal  Jourdan  will  be  very  useful  to  you  when  you  have 
confided  to  him  the  government  of  Naples.  He  has  experience, 
and  a  name  and  a  reputation  to  preserve,  which  will  render  him 
peculiarly  fit  to  command  in  a  great  city. 

[143.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Maluiaison,  April  11, 1806. 

My  Brother, — You  must  not  disguise  from  yourself  that  you 
will  have  real  possession  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples  only  in  so  far 
as  you  establish  there  a  great  number  of  French.  That  can  only 
be  done  by  giving  to  some  of  them  lands,  and  to  others  employ 
ment,  especially  in  the  army,  and  by  intrusting  them  with  the 
command  of  towns  and  of  military  stations  and  of  fortresses. 

I  see  no  reason,  therefore,  why  you  should  be  in  a  hurry  to 
form  Neapolitan  regiments,  or  to  call  for  the  services  in  your 
army  of  Neapolitan  officers,  who  will  never  be  really  to  be  de 
pended  upon.  You  will  have  national  property  to  dispose  of,  that 
of  the  clergy,  and  of  the  monasteries,  and  the  fiefs  of  the  crown. 
What  you  have  to  do  with  them  need  not  be  begun  yet,  but  ought 
to  be  kept  in  view. 

I  cannot  too  strongly  recommend  you  to  establish,  as  soon  as 
possible,  moveable  columns  and  military  commissions,  not  only 
for  the  sake  of  executing  speedy  justice  upon  the  banditti,  but 
also  to  punish  without  delay  the  excesses  of  the  soldiers,  which 
it  is  of  consequence  that  you  should  repress  severely. 

I  suppose  that  you  occupy  all  the  ports  of  the  Adriatic,  in 
order  to  intercept  all  communication  with  the  Ionian  Islands. 
Remember  that  it  is  necessary,  speaking  largely,  that  every 
village  in  your  dominions  -should  have  seen  your  troops,  and  that 
it  is  important,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  people  should  not  have 
cause  to  complain  of  them.  Your  army  should  not  be  scattered ; 
it  is  better  to  have  a  corps  of  600  men,  who  may  make  six  ex- 


APBIL,  1806.  SIEGE  OF  GAETA.  JQQ 

cursions  to  different  points,  or  who  may  send  patrols  everywhere, 
but  so  as  to  keep  the  main  body  in  one  place,  than  to  divide  such 
a  corps  into  6  companies  of  100  men  at  each  post.  Endeavour 
to  keep  your  battalions  together.  There  is  no  use,  in  your  posi 
tion,  in  making  the  troops  serve  in  pickets,  nor  in  forming  bat 
talions  or  large  detachments  exclusively  composed  either  of  light 
infantry  or  of  grenadiers.  That  breaks  up  the  different  corps, 
and  withdraws  the  officers  and  soldiers  from  their  principal 
leaders.  The  inevitable  consequence  is  to  destroy  all  administra 
tion  and  all  responsibility,  and  every  thing  falls  into  confusion. 
It  is  a  principle  that  companies  of  light  infantry  or  of  grenadiers 
should  not  be  collected  until  on  the  eve  of  an  action.  Do  your 
best  therefore  to  keep  your  battalions  and  squadrons  together ; 
otherwise  your  army  will  lose  all  distinctness,  and  get  into  incal 
culable  disorder. 

There  should  be  one  head-quarter  for  the  whole  of  Calabria ; 
you  will  place  there  the  centre  of  your  administration,  and  the 
depots  of  the  regiments,  in  that  province.  Cosenza,  or  Cassano, 
may  be  chosen  for  this  purpose.  It  would  be  well  to  keep  a 
certain  quantity  of  biscuit  there,  in  well-managed  magazines.  I 
have  some  at  Genoa  and  at  Leghorn,  and  I  have  to-day  ordered 
that  it  should  be  sent  to  you  without  delay. 


[144.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malmaison,  April  11, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  no  details  about  the  siege  of 
Graeta:  the  engineers  and  artillery  officers  ought  to  send  me 
some.  They  write  so  little  and  so  briefly  that  one  knows 
nothing.  It  is  absurd  to  place  mortars  at  more  than  3000  yards 
from  the  walls.  I  hope  that  you  are  master  of  the  Capucin 
convent.  Is  the  tower  of  Atra  taken,  and  Monte  Secco  ?  What 
is  there  to  prevent  batteries  from  being  established  at  the  point, 
to  sweep  the  harbour,  and  to  make  the  approach  dangerous  to  a 
man-of-war  ? 


NAPLES.—  THE  AEMT.  CHAP.  VI. 


[  145.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malmaison,  April  11,  1SOG. 

My  Brother,  —  Confiscate  all  ships  in  the  ports  of  Naples 
bearing  the  flag  of  the  Ionian  republic,  and  dismiss  all  the  com 
missioners  of  that  republic  who  are  in  your  kingdom.  Have  a 

skilful  search  made  into  the  books  of  the  merchants  who  have 

\^ 

transactions  in  money  for  the  Russians  and  lonians,  and  seize 
that  money.  "With  a  little  address,  this  operation  ought  to  yield 
you  several  millions. 


[  146.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Malmaison,  April  12,  1S06. 

My  Brother, — Besides  1300  rations  of  biscuit,  which  should 
have  been  sent  to  you  from  Toulon,  I  have  ordered  for  you 
100,000  from  Leghorn,  and  400,000  from  Genoa.  I  have  also 
ordered  2  captains,  6  lieutenants,  and  12  midshipmen  to  proceed 
to  you.  The  vessels  which  you  ought  to  have  for  the  Sicilian 
expedition  are  very  light  pinnaces,  to  be  worked  with  oars.  This 
expedition  has  nothing  in  common  with  that  of  Boulogne,  since 
there  is  no  doubt  of  your  being  able,  with  a  breeze,  to  cross  the 
strait  of  Messina  in  three  or  four  hours. 


[147.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  April  21, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  your  letter  of  the  5th.  I  am  glad  to 
see  that  a  village  of  the  insurgents  has  been  burnt.  Severe 
examples  are  necessary.  I  presume  that  the  soldiers  have  been 
allowed  to  plunder  this  village.  This  is  the  way  to  treat  villages 
which  revolt.  It  is  one  of  the  rights  of  war ;  but  it  is  also  a 
duty  prescribed  by  policy. 

Beginning  with  the  1st  of  May,  I  have  established  a  courier 
to  communicate  regularly  with  the  kingdom  of  Naples;  this 
measure  will  afford  us  quicker  means  of  correspondence  than  the 
ordinary  post,  and  is  one  of  which  your  administrative  depart 
ments  may  take  advantage. 


APKIL.1806.  THEAKMY.  JH 

I  have  collected  the  depots  of  your  army  in  Romagna,  and  in 
the  territories  of  Bologna  and  Modena :  I  have  distributed  them 
into  two  divisions  of  infantry,  one  of  light  cavalry,  and  one  of 
dragoons.  At  the  same  time,  I  have  ordered  a  great  number  of 
conscripts  towards  those  depots,  in  order  that  the  14  battalions 
of  which  they  consist  may  be  rendered  complete,  and  give  me  a 
reserve  of  14,000  men  to  hold  Upper  Italy.  It  will  be  necessary 
that  the  Majors  should  repair  thither,  and  that  the  cadres  of  the 
other  battalions,  that  is  to  say,  the  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers,  should  be  sent  there,  as  well  as  the  regimental  books, 
without  which  they  will  be  lost  in  these  numerous  moves,  and 
this  would  be  a  source  of  disorder  and  confusion.  The  62nd 
regiment  has  4  battalions  with  your  army.  Send  to  the  depot 
the  cadres  of  the  3rd  and  the  4th,  which  will  leave  you  2  toler 
able  battalions  of  700  or  800  men  each.  The  cadres  of  the  3rd 
and  4th  battalions  added  to  their  depot  will  bring  it  to  2000 
men.  The  20th  consists  of  4  battalions ;  one  is  with  your  depot, 
the  other  3  are  with  your  army ;  keep  the  1st  and  the  2nd,  and  send 
back  the  cadres  of  the  3rd.  The  14th  chasseurs  has  4  squadrons 
with  your  army  ;  send  the  cadres  of  the  4th  back  to  the  depot ; 
do  the  same  with  the  25th  chasseurs,  and  the  23rd,  29th,  and 
30th  dragoons.  Keep,  generally  speaking,  only  the  3rd  mounted 
squadron  of  all  your  French  cavalry  regiments,  for  the  sake  of 
having  one  at  the  depot :  this  will  relieve  your  pay-list,  bring 
your  accounts  into  order,  and  will  increase  the  number  of  my 
troops  in  Italy ;  for  Europe  is  not  yet  sufficiently  settled  to  en 
able  me  to  dispense  with  an  army  at  hand.  I  see  that  the  14th 
light  infantry  has  three  battalions  with  the  army ;  if  so,  send  the 
3rd  battalion  back  to  the  dep5t.  Do  the  same  thing  with  regard 
to  the  1st  light  infantry,  the  42nd  and  6th  of  the  line,  and  the 
23rd  light  infantry.  Retain  only  2  battalions  with  the  army, 
and  send  the  cadres  of  the  other  battalions  to  the  depots  in  the 
kingdom  of  Italy.  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  send  back  4 
French  regiments,  such  as  the  62nd,  and  the  next  three  regiments 
that  have  had  the  most  work.  If  you  decide  on  this,  you  should 
send  them  by  Ancona.  The  regiment  of  Latour  d'Auvergne, 
which  consists  of  oOOO  men,  and  the  2  battalions  of  the  1st  Swiss, 


112  NAPLES.— THE  AEMT.  CHAP.  VL 

will  make  up  to  you  for  the  loss  of  these  4  regiments ;  and  you 
must  be  aware  that  it  will  make  a  great  difference  to  me ;  for 
if  the  movements  of  the  Russians  should  oblige  me  to  march 
against  them,  it  would  then  be  too  late  to  withdraw  troops  from 
you. 

You  have  too  many  men :  you  have  also  too  many  horses. 
Send  back  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy  and  to  Ancona  all  that  are  of 
no  use  to  you.  Keep  the  Poles,  the  Swiss,  and  the  Corsicans ; 
they  are  excellent  soldiers  for  the  country  that  you  are  in.  You 
ought  to  find  cloth  and  shoes  in  Naples  and  in  your  kingdom. 
You  should  clothe  your  troops  with  the  wool  of  the  country. 
I  think  that  10  French  regiments  of  2  battalions  each,  with 
1000  men  in  a  battalion,  which  would  make  20,000  men  in  all, 
2000  Germans,  1200  Swiss,  and  as  many  Corsicans,  would  be 
enough  for  the  kingdoms  of  Naples  and  Sicily ;  you  do  not  want 
in  Sicily  more  than  15,000  men.  However,  the  matter  is  not 
urgent.  I  still  leave  all  that  you  have  at  your  disposal,  except 
that  I  advise  you  to  send  to  the  depots  in  Italy  your  3rd  and 
4th  battalions  and  your  4th  squadrons,  and  to  keep  only  2  bat 
talions  to  each  regiment  of  infantry  and  3  squadrons  to  each 
regiment  of  cavalry. 

[148.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

8t  Cloud,  April  21, 1806. 

My  Brother — Light  troops,  such  as  the  Corsicans,  who,  as 
well  as  the  Italian  soldiers,  speak  the  language  of  the  country, 
will  do  excellently  to  fight  the  banditti  in  Calabria.  Organise 
4  moveable  columns  commanded  by  intelligent,  honest  and  re 
solute  oflicers ;  let  each  column  consist  of  700  or  800  men,  some 
horse,  but  many  more  of  foot,  distributed  in  the  different  parts 
of  that  province,  and  sending  detachments  in  every  direction. 
Before  these  columns  have  been  established  a  month  they  will 
know  the  ground  well ;  they  will  have  mixed  with  the  inha 
bitants  and  hunted  down  the  brigands  :  let  them  be  shot  on  the 
spot  as  soon  as  they  are  taken.  It  is  also  of  the  first  consequence 
that  you  should  occupy  the  coast.  All  the  measures  that  you 
have  taken  for  the  establishment  of  military  commandants  are 


ApBiL,1806.  MILITAEY  GOYEENMENT.  ;Q3 

good,  but  take  care  that  there  be  no  robbery.  If  their  conduct 
is  arbitrary,  if  they  annoy  and  rob  the  people,  they  will  raise 
insurrections.  You  must  strike  boldly,  dismiss  ignominiously, 
and  bring  before  a  court-martial  the  first  offender.  Organise  few 
Neapolitan  troops ;  they  are  not  to  be  trusted  at  first ;  you  may 
form  them  into  one  regiment  and  send  them  to  France.  When 
they  arrive  in  Italy*  I  will  take  them  into  my  service ;  they  will 
be  useful  in  the  Pyrenees. 

Your  measure  of  taking  into  your  pay  all  the  officers  who 
have  not  followed  the  King  of  Naples  is  open  to  much  criticism. 
Do  not  involve  yourself  in  an  immense  expense ;  the  presence 
of  many  soldiers  in  Naples  will  do  no  harm  as  lo*ng  as  you  have 
a  large  French  army  there ;  but  when  the  French  troops  are 
gone,  the  Neapolitans  will  be  already  organised,  and  you  will  not 
be  able  to  trust  them. 

You  should  send  them  to  France.  I  do  not  include  in  this 
category  those  who  opposed  the  Queen,  and  were  persecuted 
under  the  old  regime. 

On  the  whole,  I  see  many  good  measures  in  your  decrees.  I 
cannot  too  strongly  recommend  you  to  display  vigour.  You 
should  establish  in  every  province  "  proveditors,"  after  the 
manner  of  our  prefets  ;  generals  cannot  administer.  It  seems  to 
me  that  your  gendarmerie  is  not  sufficiently  numerous.  Put  a 
captain  with  a  company  of  gendarmes  on  foot  into  each  of  your 
military  districts  ;  let  these  companies  be  composed  one  half  of 
French  and  the  other  of  Neapolitans  upon  whom  you  can  rely, 
and  let  there  be  among  them  some  who  have  been  in  France. 


[149.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  April  27,  1806. 

My  brother — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  12th  from 
Cozena.  The  Poles  are  ill  adapted  to  a  mountain  warfare  ;  the 
Polish  colonels'  conduct  does  not  surprise  me.  I  am  sorry  that 
you  have  not  2  Italian  regiments  in  Calabria ;  facility  in  speak- 

*  Italy,  in  Napoleon's  letters,  generally  means  his  kingdom  of  Upper 
Italy.— TR. 


114  NAPLES.— THE  AEMY.  CHAP.  YJ, 

ing  tae  language  of  the  country  is  a  great  point.  The  Corsicans 
are  well  fitted  for  the  service.  I  was  indignant  at  reading  Ge 
neral  Duhesme's  refusal  to  send  a  battalion  to  the  aid  of  Cosenza ; 
express  to  him  my  severe  displeasure.  He  should  have  sent,  not 
1  but  3  battalions,  with  a  brigadier-general.  This  system  of 
dividing  the  main  body  was  fatal  to  the  armies  of  the  Rhine ; 
where  I  have  been  I  have  never  allowed  it.  On  the  bare  notice 
of  an  insurrection  in  the  rear  of  General  Reynier  he  should  have 
made  his  preparations  and  marched.*  General  St.  Cyr  is  more 
annoyed  at  interference  than  any  one  else ;  nothing  does  so  much 
harm  in  war  as  these  feelings.  Unite  the  whole  division  of 
General  Reynier,  which  consists  of  8000  or  9000  men,  in  order 
to  garrison  the  coast  and  to  be  ready  to  cross  over  into  Sicily. 
Put  into  Cosenza  Corsicans  and  Italians,  or  even  Neapolitans,  if 
you  have  any  on  whom  you  can  sufficiently  rely;  spare  your 
French  troops  by  not  opposing  them  in  small  parties  to  the  pea 
santry  ;  above  all,  forbid  small  garrisons,  otherwise  you  will  have 
great  losses ;  the  real  system  is  that  of  flying  camps.  The  best 
way  is  to  station  round  Cosenza  1800  men  under  a  general  of 
division,  and  to  let  them  perpetually  send  out  columns  of  from 
500  to  600  men  to  scour  the  country.  All  the  points  of  the 
coast  on  which  there  are  forts  capable  of  affording  shelter  to  a 
small  body  of  men  against  the  insurrections  of  a  town  or  of  the 
peasantry  may  be  taken  advantage  of  in  order  to  protect  the 
coast,  but  there  ought  nowhere  to  be  less  than  400  men  :  smaller 
detachments  should  be  put  only  into  fortresses  and  well-fortified 
posts. 

Have  your  shoes  and  uniforms  made  in  Naples ;  clothing  from 
France  would  never  reach  you.  Pay  your  army  regularly.  If 
you  have  too  many  troops,  return  to  Italy  the  cavalry  that  you 
do  not  want;  even  send  back,  as  I  have  already  told  you,  4 
French  regiments  to  Ancona'  You  should  take  the  Corsican 
legion  into  your  service,  and  you  can  then  put  Calabrians  and 
Neapolitans  into  it.  Send  to  Corsica  for  recruits;  you  know 

*  General  Duhesme  did  not  venture  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  sending 
troops,  as  he  was  under  the  command  of  General  St.  Cyr. — ED. 


MAY,  1806.  INSUEGENTS.  ;Q5 

that  the  King  of  Naples  did  so.  Send  thither,  therefore,  recruit 
ing  parties,  but  do  not  employ  F ;  he  is  a  knave  and  also  a 

coward,  and  would  be  of  no  use  to  you. 

Send  your  dragoons  to  the  depots  in  Italy ;  there  are  many 
troops  there  which  are  not  as  experienced  as  the  other  regiments 
of  the  grand  army  ;  I  wish  to  prepare  them  for  war  as  I  did  the 
other  regiments  in  Germany. 

Whenever  you  mention  a  town  to  me  make  a  note  of  its 
population,  for  one  can  obtain  no  information  here  upon  the  sub 
ject.  If  Colonel  Laffon  had  attacked  the  insurgents  boldly,  with 
400  men  he  might  have  brought  them  to  reason.  An  unor 
ganised  body  always  yields  to  an  attack ;  this  was  done  by  Ge 
neral  Dufour.  Tell  him  that  he  shall  be  promoted  in  the  Legion 
of  Honour  for  his  good  conduct.  Let  it  also  be  known  that  I 
give  8  eagles  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  to  the  1st  and  2nd  light 
troops,  and  to  the  6th  and  42nd  of  the  line :  you  will  send  me 
the  names  of  those  who  have  distinguished  themselves. 

[  150.]  XAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  April  27,  1806. 

My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  13th  of 
April  from  Scigliano,  with  that  of  General  Reynier  dated  the 
1 1th.  1  am  glad  to  see  that  the  courts-martial  do  justice  upon 
the  banditti  who  infest  the  high  roads  ;  it  is  the  only  way  to 
clear  the  country  and  to  destroy  the  influence  of  the  Queen. 
When  people  perceive  the  danger  which  they  incur  in  executing 
her  orders,  things  will  take  a  different  turn.  I  have  been  at  St. 
Cloud  for  some  days ;  my  troops  continue  to  occupy  Branau, 
and  are  upon  the  Inn.  I  am  expecting  the  restitution  of  Cattaro, 
which  the  Russians  say  that  they  are  willing  to  give  up  to  me; 
their  occupation  of  it  serves  only  to  compromise  the  Austrians. 


[151."]  NAPOLKON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  1, 1806. 

My  Brother — It  appears  from  the  report  which  I  have 
received  upon  the  siege  of  Gaeta  that  the  artillery  has  not  20 
pieces  of  cannon,  and  that  there  are  only  2000  men  before  the 


HQ  NAPLES.-SIEGE  OF  GAETA.  CHAP.  VL 

place.  This  report  is  dated  the  13th  April.*  You  ought  to 
have  6000  men.  You  should  put  in  requisition  all  the  car 
riages  for  the  transport  of  tools,  shot,  and  guns.  You  ought  to 
have  no  difficulty  in  getting  80  pieces  of  cannon  from  Capua, 
from  Naples,  and  from  the  other  fortified  places  in  the  kingdom. 
The  whole  ramparts  of  the  town  being  exposed,  and  liable  to  be 
battered  at  400  yards,  it  will  soon  be  dismantled.  But  it  seems 
that  sufficient  attention  is  not  paid  to  this  important  object.  In 
fact,  you  have  brought  into  play  only  the  division  of  General 
Reynier,  and  that  division  forms  but  a  quarter  of  your  troops. 
You  will  not  take  Gaeta  without  system,  nor  without  bestowing 
the  greatest  attention  upon  it,  and  already  much  time  has  been 
lost. 

[  152.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  4,  1806. 

My  Brother— Your  letters  of  the  18th  and  19th  of  April 
have  reached  me.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  are  making  pre 
parations  for  the  Sicilian  expedition.  I  am  going  to  send  you 
a  company  composed  of  100  men  of  the  body-guard  of  the  late 
King.  They  did  not  emigrate  with  him ;  most  of  them  have 
been  employed,  and  have,  for  many  years,  given  me  proofs  of 
their  zeal.  They  wished  to  be  attached  to  my  person,  which 
did  not  appear  to  me  to  be  suitable,  but  I  saw  no  objection  to 
their  entering  your  service ;  they  are  men  of  honour  who  will 
do  their  utmost  to  serve  you.  By  adding  to  them  some  officers 
and  Neapolitans  belonging  to  the  first  families,  you  will  be  able 
to  form  a  few  companies  of  guards  of  100  horse  each.  By  this 
means  you  may  attach  to  yourself  some  of  the  great  landowners, 
who  would  not  willingly  enter  the  line.  I  see  many  advantages 

*  The  report  seems  to  have  been  erroneous.  On  the  31st  May  there  were 
before  Gaeta — 

660  artillerymen, 
180  engineers, 
3570  infantry,  and 
250  cavalry: 

4660  in  aU 


MAT,  1806.  BODY-GUAED  H7 

for  you  in  keeping  by  your  side  100  Frenchmen  of  good  family, 
who  will  have  employment  and  bread,  and  who  will  set  a  good 
example  to  the  Neapolitan  nobles.  Be  certain  that  when  you 
have  landed  in  Sicily  you  will  soon  be  master  of  the  island, 
without  having  any  siege  to  make.  The  court  must  fly  or  re 
main.  It  would  be  dangerous  to  remain,  they  will  therefore  go, 
and  when  once  they  are  gone  you  will  have  an  easy  bargain  of 
the  rest.  The  Sicilians,  like  all  islanders,  love  novelty;  the 
capture  of  Naples  will  have  great  influence  on  them.  Have  some 
little  pamphlets  written  which  may  make  them  feel  the  advan 
tage  of  belonging  to  a  French  Prince,  who  will  protect  them 
from  the  insults  of  the  Moors,  and  will  give  them  tranquillity 
and  a  Mediterranean  trade.  Take  into  your  service  the  generals, 
officers,  and  soldiers  who  you  think  will  do  for  your  guard ;  but 
pray  do  not  lose  sight  of  the  100  guards  whom  I  am  going  to  as 
semble  at  Chambery  and  to  send  to  you. 


[  153.J  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  21st  of 
April  from  Gerace,  You  should  not  cramp  yourself  in  any  way ; 
you  may  send  back  all  the  officers  whom  you  do  not  wish  to  keep. 
You  may  take  all  you  want  for  your  guard ;  you  may  form  Nea 
politan  regiments.  If  you  wish  to  organize  one  after  the  French 
manner,  and  will  fill  it  up  to  3000  men,  send  it  to  me.  I  will 
employ  it  in  the  Pyrenees,  but  the  number  of  soldiers  must  be 
complete. 

I  have  made  General  Reynier  Grand  Officer  of  the  Legion  of 
Honour ;  this  will  prove  to  him  my  satisfaction  with  his  conduct. 


[  154.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  9, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  given  to  General  Lemarrois,  my  aide- 
de-camp,  the  command  of  Ancona  and  of  the  coast  of  the  Adri 
atic  from  Rimini  to  the  Neapolitan  frontiers,  that  he  may  intercept 
all  communication  between  the  Russian  squadrons  and  the  island 


118  EXPEDITION  TO  CIVITA  VECCHIA.  CHAP.  VI. 

of  Corfu.  He  will  correspond  with  you,  and  will  be  always  ready 
to  do  all  that  the  good  of  the  service  may  require.  I  put  him 
under  the  orders  of  the  Viceroy  of  Italy,  because  it  is  the  easiest 
and  quickest  channel  for  him  to  receive  your  commands. 

The  court  of  Rome  is  behaving  ill ;  at  all  events  I  keep  An- 
cona  and  Civita  Vecchia;  but  there  is  no  good  in  explaining 
oneself  on  the  subject. 

There  should  be  about  1200  men  at  Ancona.  The  1st  bat 
talion  of  the  regiment  of  Latour  d'Auvergne  should  be  there. 
I  have  no  cavalry  to  send  thither ;  you  have  too  much ;  send  a 
regiment  of  dragoons,  which  is  wanted  to  watch  the  coast ;  it  will 
diminish  by  so  much  your  expenses.  I  intend  also  to  occupy 
Civita  Vecchia.  There  is  a  quantity  of  artillery  there  5  you  may 
take  some  for  the  siege  of  Gaeta.  I  would  have  sent  a  general  to 
take  the  command  of  Civita  Vecchia,  but,  as  you  complain  of 
having  too  many,  send  a  general  with  one  regiment  of  horse  and 
another  of  foot  to  take  possession :  these  regiments  will  march  as 
if  on  their  return  to  Etruria,  and  when  they  have  got  as  far  as 
Civita  Vecchia  they  will  take  the  place  and  occupy  it,  so  as  to 
intercept  all  communication  with  the  sea.  The  general  in  com 
mand  of  these  regiments  will  apply  for  instructions  to  the  Vice 
roy,  who  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  armies  of  Italy.  My  in 
tention  is  that  he  should  command  the  whole  Mediterranean  coast 
from  the  frontiers  of  Naples  to  Piombino :  if,  however,  you  do 
not  wish  to  deprive  yourself  of  French  troops,  send  an  Italian 
regiment  to  Civita  Vecchia.  General  Duhesme  would  be  a  fit 
man.  This  measure  will  be  inconvenient  to  the  English,  and  will 
put  me  in  a  suitable  position  towards  the  court  of  Rome.  I  need 
not  tell  you  that  all  this  should  be  kept  secret.  No  proclamation 
should  be  made  on  entering  Civita  Vecchia ;  simply  seize  the 
place.  The  regiments  that  you  send  to  me  may  very  well  share 
the  duty  with  the  few  troops  of  the  Pope  who  are  there  already, 
and  who  will  willingly  serve  under  a  French  general. 

P.  S.  If,  in  consequence  of  my  preceding  letters,  you  have 
already  sent  some  regiments  of  infantry  and  of  cavalry  on  their 
way  to  Upper  Italy,  you  can  use  some  of  them  for  Ancona  and 
Civita  Vecchia. 


MAY,  1806.  EXPEDITION  TO  CIVITA  VECCHIA.  119 

1  155.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  May  3, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  from  Chiaretti  and 
Catanzaro.  I  have  ordered  the  Foreign  Office  to  consider  the 
subjects  which  you  mention,  your  arms  and  your  flag,  and  I  think 
that  what  you  propose  will  be  considered  most  suitable.  I  see 
that  the  "  Bergere"  is  captured;  it  was  rather  imprudent  in  her 
to  attack  a  frigate.  The  naval  resources  of  Venice  are  small ; 
at  present  they  are  employed  in  supplying  the  islands  of  Dalma- 
tia.  This  diversion  affects  Sicily,  by  calling  away  the  forces  of 
Russia  in  that  quarter.  I  have  desired  M.  Lavalette  to  send  to 
you  every  day  by  the  Naples  courier,  the  newspapers,  and  every 
thing  that  comes  out  here. 

[  156.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  13, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  28th  and 
30th  of  April.  A  hundred  pieces  of  heavy  cannon  at  Taranto 
are  too  many.  This  is  French  ordnance,  which  I  had  sent  thither 
from  Mantua.  Pass  some  on  to  Gaeta  and  to  Reggio,  but  it  is 
necessary  to  keep  a  considerable  quantity  of  artillery  at  Taranto, 
which  is  destined  some  day  to  play  a  great  part. 

I  saw  with  pleasure  that  the  Marquis  of  Rhodio  had  been 
shot.  Twenty  thousand  conscripts  of  the  levy  of  1806  will  arrive 
in  Italy  before  the  end  of  the  year  to  fill  up  my  ranks.  Your 
plan  of  completing  4  French  regiments.with  Neapolitans  is  bad. 
You  will  soon  have  no  reserve  to  depend  upon.  For  the  present 
I  intend  to  leave  at  your  disposal  4  or  6  regiments  on  the  war 
footing  for  the  service  of  your  kingdom.  There  will  be  no  Pied- 
montese  in  these  troops ;  they  will  be  composed  of  pure  French, 
and  will  form  a  reserve  which  will  put  you  quite  at  your  ease. 
You  had  better  organise  2  or  3  Neapolitan  regiments ;  there  is  no 
objection  to  my  employing  them  in  France,  where  they  will  become 
attached  to  the  country,  and  acquire  habits  of  discipline  and  order 
which  they  never  would  get  at  home.  I  made  a  similar  arrange 
ment  for  my  Italian  kingdom,  and  I  found  it  answer.  Take  care 


120  NAPLES.— THE  ARMY.  CHAP.  VL 

that  no  Neapolitan  enters  a  French  regiment;  it  would  spoil 
everything ;  you  would  not  know  to  whom  to  trust,  should  any 
thing  occur.  This  should  be  your  policy  for  at  least  ten  years. 

The  journeys  which  you  make  have  a  very  good  effect.  By 
showing  yourself  everywhere  with  your  troops,  you  will  accustom 
the  country  to  your  government. 

I  have  asked  you  to  send  the  cadres  of  your  3rd  and  4th  bat 
talions  and  of  your  4th  squadrons  back  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy : 
they  will  enable  me  to  have  a  reserve  of  20,000  men.  The  con 
scripts  cannot  go  from  France  to  the  extremity  of  the  Neapolitan 
kingdom  without  clothing.  They  must  also  be  drilled  before  they 
start.  I  receive  every  ten  days  a  return  of  your  depots ;  I  will 
send  to  you  some  men  from  them. 

I  advise  you  to  pay  your  army  well,  and  to  dismiss  all  whom 
you  cannot  pay. 

[  157.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  May  16, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  4th  of  May 
from  Taranto.  I  am  surprised  that  there  are  not  the  proper  gun- 
carriages  at  Taranto.  General  Saint- Cyr  had  them  in  charge ; 
his  absence  has  been  too  short  for  them  to  be  destroyed  in  the 
meanwhile,  unless  it  has  been  done  on  purpose. 

I  do  not  think  that  Colonel  Gentili  is  capable  of  bringing 
into  order  your  gendarmerie ;  it  is  an  organisation  of  a  peculiar 
land,  which  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  country  in  Europe. 
It  cost  me  a  great  deal  $f  trouble  to  set  it  on  foot  in  the  kingdom 
of  Italy,  where  it  is  beginning  to  work.  It  is  the  most  effectual 
way  of  maintaining  order,  and  it  constitutes  a  supervision  half 
civil  and  half  military,  extending  over  the  whole  country,  which 
gives  you  the  most  exact  reports.  Do  not  expect  that  with  a  few 
pickets  and  a  few  moveable  detachments,  such  as  you  have  seen  in 
the  gendarmerie  of  Corsica,  you  will  obtain  these  results.  You 
must  have  stationary  detachments  which  may  become  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  places  and  people.  The  only  objection  is  the  ex 
pense,  but,  as  the  greater  part  of  your  country  is  mountainous, 
you  require  more  foot  than  horse.  It  should  not  cost  you  more 


MAY,  1806.  SIEGE  OF  GAETA.  121 

than  800,000  or  a  million  francs  a-year.  It  will  soon  be  organ 
ised.  Do  not  discourage  Radet  too  much.*  Prevent  him  from 
publishing  more  than  he  ought :  there  must,  however,  be  some 
circulars  and  some  trouble.  However,  it  is  for  you  to  restrain 
his  movements  and  to  direct  them  as  you  wish.  If,  after  all, 
you  are  not  satisfied  with  him,  send  him  back  to  me ;  I  will  replace 
him  by  Brigadier  Bugnet,  who  is  organising  the  gendarmerie  of 
Genoa  and  of  Parma,  and  whom  you  saw  at  Boulogne.  He  is  a 
man  of  a  mild  character,  and  he  knows  the  system  thoroughly. 

Russia  is  beginning  to  make  advances :  she  has  just  ordered 
Cattaro  to  be  given  up  to  me;  and  I  think  that  the  Russian 
oquadron  will  soon  abandon  the  Adriatic.  I  do  not  know  what 
measures  you  have  taken  for  the  distribution  of  your  troops  in  the 
kingdom  of  Naples.  You  may  have  difficulty  in  finding  food  for 
them.  If  this  is  the  case,  you  know  that  I  have  authorised  you 
to  send  some  of  them  back  to  me. 


[  158.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  19,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  8th  of  May. 
I  see  with  pleasure  that  you  are  satisfied  with  the  spirit  of  the 
Neapolitans.  Do  not  begin  the  fire  upon  Gaeta  till  you  have 
plenty  of  guns  in  position,  and  have  brought  a  great  quantity  of 
ammunition  to  the  park. 

Whatever  they  may  tell  you,  believe  that  one  fights  with 
cannon  as  with  fists.  When  once  the  fire  is  begun,  the  least  want 
of  ammunition  renders  what  you  have  already  done  useless.  You 
will  not  have  Gaeta  unless  you  besiege  it  regularly.  Two  car 
riages  for  each  gun  are  not  too  much.  You  should  have  an  abun 
dance  of  sacks  of  earth,  of  fascines,  and  of  saucissonsf  prepared 
beforehand.  At  the  moment  that  the  fire  opens,  have  9000  or 
10,000  infantry  before  the  place,  so  as  to  be  sufficient  for  the 

*  General  Radet  was  employed  in  organising  the  Neapolitan  gendarmerie. 
Joseph  complained  that  he  was  too  "busy  and  officious,  and  wished  to  take 
Colonel  Gentili  in  his  place. — TR. 

t  Long  fascines. — TR. 

VOL.  I.— 6 


122  NAPLES.  -SIEGE  OF  GAETA.-  CHAP.  VI 

trenches  and  the  assaults.  Establish  batteries  of  mortars  and 
red-hot  shot,  to  keep  off  the  ships.  None  of  all  these  should  be 
gin  to  fire  until  the  last  moment.  During  the  12  days  that  the 
siege  of  Gaeta.  ought  to  last,  the  fire  ought  to  go  on  continually 
increasing.  In  the  mean  while  you  should  have  ready  a  good 
governor  and  at  least  500  or  600  men,  partly  French  and  partly 
Italians.  Erect  batteries,  construct  places  d'armes,  where  the 
troops  will  be  sheltered  by  redoubts,  and  ready  to  oppose  any 
sallies;  in  short,  combine  every  means  of  attack.  From  this 
time  you  need  be  in  no  hurry  to  take  Gaeta ;  Europe  is,  and 
will  be,  at  peace.*  There  are  but  few  Russians  at  Corfu ;  as 
many  as  half  their  number  have  already  reached  the  Crimea.  The 
2000  or  3000  men  whom  the  English  may  send  to  Gaeta  will  not 
be  in  Sicily. 

As  war  is  not  to  be  feared  in  the  present  state  of  Europe, 
Sicily  is  everything  and  Gaeta  nothing ;  that  is  to  say,  nothing  for 
the  next  two  months :  you  should  take  it  before  September ;  till 
then  there  is  no  cause  for  fear ;  and  if  by  that  time  you  are  able 
to  enter  Sicily,  that,  will  be  the  great  point.  It  is  also  of  great 
consequence  to  your  further  movements  that  you  should  be  master 
of  Civita  Vecchia,  and  of  the  whole  coast  as  far  as  Piombino.  I 
wrote  to  you  to  send  thither  one  regiment  of  infantry,  and  one  of 
cavalry,  with  a  general.  It  seems  that  you  prefer  to  keep  all  your 
troops.  You  certainly  have  too  much  cavalry.  As  I  was  in 
doubt  as  to  what  you  would  do,  I  ordered  a  Swiss  battalion  which 
is  at  Ancona  to  be  sent  to  Civita  Vecchia.  A  battalion  of  the 
regiment  of  Latour  d'Auvergne  ought  to  be  at  Ancona.  General 
Lemarrois  must  have  arrived  there.  He  wants  a  regiment  of 
horse ;  I  suppose  that  you  have  sent  one  to  him.  You  should 
hermetically  seal  the  whole  coast  of  Italy  against  the  English  and 
against  all  communication  with  Corfu.  Order  the  general  in 
command  before  Gaeta  to  hold  no  parley  with  Sir  Sidney  Smith ; 
he  is  a  chatterer  and  an  intriguer,  and  tries  only  to  deceive.  If 
you  do  not  put  the  Sicilian  expedition  under  Massena,  send  him 

*  Even  in  May,  1806,  Napoleon  did  not  foresee  the  campaign  of  that  year 
in  Prussia,  and  still  less  that  in  Poland. — ED. 


MAY  1806.  SIEGE  OF  GAIT  A.  123 

to  Gaeta  and  let  him  stay  there.  Jourdan  possesses  the  activity 
and  prudence  which  are  requisite  to  keep  Naples  and  the  adjoin 
ing  coast.  Reynier  is  as  fit  as  anybody  else  to  take  Sicily. 
I  cannot  too  strongly  advise  you  to  have  many  engineer  and  ar 
tillery  officers.  Do  not  begin  to  besiege  Gaeta  until  you  have 
guns,  carriages,  ammunition,  gabions,  tools,  carthbags,  &c.,  and 
10,000  infantry ;  otherwise  you  will  be  accused  of  having  received 
a  check,  the  capture  of  the  place  will  be  delayed,  and  valuable 
preparations  will  be  wasted.  When  you  have  reached  that  point, 
you  can  draw  from  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  from  Ancona,  &c., 
the  powder  and  everything  else  requisite  for  increasing  your 
means.  For  my  part,  I  think  that  Gaeta  might  have  been  taken 
two  months  ago.  As  it  is,  perhaps  it  is  better  that  it  was  not,  if 
you  can  see  your  way  to  an  early  invasion  of  Sicily.  Do  not  let 
Gaeta  in  any  way  diminish  your  resources  for  the  Sicilian  expe 
dition.  Gaeta  will  not  resist  a  continuous  attack,  if  you  have  no 
want  of  artillery  and  stores.  Beyond  all  doubt,  you  might  carry 
the  place  in  12  days;  but  to  do  that,  you  must  have  tons  of 
powder,  abundance  of  carriages,  gabions,  fascines,  tools,  and  at 
least  20  engineer  officers,  besides  many  officers  of  artillery.  I 
wish  that  you  would  send  me  the  returns  of  your  force  on  the 
13th  of  May,  and  of  its  distribution,  and  that  you  would  let  me 
know  how  you  organised  your  expedition  for  Sicily.  By  the  re 
turns  which  I  have,  I  see  that  there  are  only  the  10th  and  62nd, 
making  less  than  3000  men  before  Gaeta.  I  do  not  see  that  you 
have  there  all  the  requisite  means  for  executing  the  preparatory 
works  of  a  siege.  There  is  not  enough  artillery  nor  enough  in 
fantry,  and  there  should  also  be  some  cavalry  to  keep  a  good  watch 
upon  the  coast.  You  might  make  a  better  distribution  of  your 
army,  which  is  far  from  inconsiderable.  The  cavalry  may  be  of 
use  to .  you  in  several  points  of  the  coast.  I  have  always  been  in 
the  habit,  at  Boulogne,  on  the  coast  of  Brittany,  of  Normandy, 
&c.,  of  making  the  chasseurs  and  hussars  practise  with  the  guns, 
so  that  they  could  run  whenever  they  were  wanted  to  serve  the 
batteries.  You  should  put  in  command  before  Gaeta  one  of  your 
principal  generals.  I  see  there  only  the  Brigadier- General  La- 
cour  :  Girardon  would  do  better.  You  should  send  thither  four 


124  NAPLES.— SIEGE  OF  GAETA.  CHAP.  VI 

or  five  Brigadier- General  s  to  command  in  the  trenches,  and  really 
to  carry  on  the  duty.  The  greater  part  of  your  engineer  officers 
ought  to  be  at  the  siege  of  Gaeta. 

In  spite  of  the  good  spirit  which  prevails  in  your  kingdom, 
do  not  trust  to  it  too  much  ;  do  not  arm  too  many  people  ;  it  can 
do  no  good,  and  may  do  harm ;  on  the  first  disturbance  on  the 
Continent  it  would  turn  against  you.  On  the  other  hand,  as  your 
army  consists  of  40,000  men  in  infantry,  cavalry,  artillery,  French, 
Italians,  and  Poles,  you  may  dispose  of  15,000  for  the  Sicilian 
expedition,  send  9000  to  Gaeta,  and  still  have  a  reserve  of  16,000 
men.  Not  a  day  passes  without  my  writing  orders  for  the  proper 
organisation  of  your  depots  of  cavalry  and  of  infantry :  the  returns 
are  sent  to  me  every  five  days,  and  are  studied  most  attentively. 

Send  back  the  generals  and*  the  unattached  officers  whom  you 
do  not  want ;  keep  less  cavalry  if  it  costs  you  too  much,  but  take 
care  that  the  regiments  of  dragoons  and  of  chasseurs  buy  horses 
in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  It  would  be  a  pity  if  the  cavalry 
regiments  which  I  have  there  should  become  dismounted.  Let 
them  always  have  at  least  500  horses ;  the  expense  will  not  be 
large,  and  my  cavalry  will  thus  be  kept  effective  and  in  good  order. 
When  a  pressure  has  come  it  is  too  late.  I  suppose  that  you  have 
surrounded  Gaeta  with  cavalry,  and  that  the  coast  of  Civita 
Vecchia,  as  well  as  that  from  Gaeta  to  Naples,  is  well  guarded. 

My  troops  are  still  in  Germany,  which  I  shall  not  evacuate 
till  I  have  Cattaro ;  but  a  courier  has  left  St.  Petersburg,  carry 
ing  the  order  that  it  be  given  up  to  me.  So  I  think  there  will 
soon  be  an  end  of  that.  If  I  were  threatened  with  war,  I  should 
say  to  you,  "  Take  Gaeta,  concentrate  all  your  resources,  and 
put  off  the  expedition  to  Sicily/'  In  my  present  position  I  tell 
you  the  contrary.  The  less  attention  you  pay  to  Sir  Sidney 
Smith,  the  less  you  speak  of  him,  the  better.  You  should  punish 
the  officers  under  whose  charge  the  prisoners  were  to  march,  and 
who  have  allowed  them  to  escape.  Such  carelessness  is  very 
culpable. 

The  business  with  Holland  is  settled,  and  before  long  Louis 
will  be  King  of  Holland.  He  is  willing,  but  his  health  con 
tinues  to  be  indifferent.  It  appears  that  the  squadron  that 


MAT,  1806.  INSTITUTION  OF  OEDEES.  125 

Jerome  is  in,  and  which  has*been  to  the  East  Indies,  has  captured 
a  large  English  convoy  and  three  men-of-war.  I  have  no  anxiety 
about  this  squadron. 

You  have  not  yet  mentioned  the  establishment  of  the  express ; 
I  suppose,  however,  that  it  will  be  done  in  time. 

[  159.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  May  21, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  10th  and 
llth  of  May.  Like  you,  I  had  thought  of  the  order  of  St. 
Januarius,  but  we  must  wait.  Send  me  an  account  of  its  institu 
tions  and  duties.  It  seems  to  me  too  religious.  In  the  first 
place,  I  do  not  like  an  order  founded  by  the  Bourbons.  Institu 
tions  should  be  original,  and  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the 
age.  In  Europe  the  very  name  of  St.  Januarius  excites  a  smile. 
You  should  find  something  which  may  command  respect,  and 
which  others  may  be  inclined  to  imitate.  Even  the  English  wish 
to  create  something  similar  to  the  Legion  of  Honour. 

I  have  read  your  letter  over  again,  and  I  do  not  see  that  you 
have  anything  to  be  proud  of.*  Who  founded  the  order  of  Constan- 
tine  ?  what  are  its  statutes,  its  privileges  ? — send  me  an  account 
of  it  likewise.  I  have  already  begun  to  quarrel  with  the  piratical 
states  on  the  subject  of  your  kingdom.  Sooner  or  later  we  must 
make  an  end  of  them.  There  are  more  than  8000  of  your  sub 
jects  between  the  two  regencies.  I  have  sent  to  them  already 
some  assistance,  but  I  do  not  intend  to  allow  your  people  to  be 
slaves.  With  patience  and  much  negotiation  we  shall  get  what 
we  want.  Nothing  can  be  more  important  to  your  people  or  more 
popular  than  the  protection  of  their  coasts  from  the  Barbary 
pirates.  It  may  be  the  foundation  of  an  order.  I  will  consider 
of  it,  and  do  you  give  it  your  attention. 

Have  you  much  property  belonging  to  the  Knights  of  Malta  ? 
It  would  be  turning  it  to  a  good  use  if  you  were  to  employ  it  in 

*  Joseph  had  ventured  to  say,  "  I  see  with  some  pride  that  I  had  already, 
before  receiving  your  Majesty's  instructions,  taken  all  the  measures  prescribed 
by  them."—  TR. 


|26  NAPLES.— COAST  GUAKD.  CHAP.  YL 

the  deliverance  of  these  poor  people.  It  is  impossible  to  set  them 
free  without  paying  for  it,  as  I  set  the  example  at  Genoa.-  If  you 
resumed  the  estates  which  belonged  to  the  order  of  Malta,  and 
gave  them  to  an  order  founded  for  this  purpose,  which  you  may 
call  "  The  Order  of  the  Deliverance,"  or  by  some  other  name, 
they  would  be  returned  to  their  original  purpose.  This  order 
would  be  well  received  in  your  country,  and  thought  an  honourable 
distinction  in  Europe.  Your  order  should  be  founded  on  some 
thing  of  this  kind.  But  it  is  a  subject  which  requires  to  be  well 
weighed.  I  understand  that  you  wish  for  something  religious. 
Nothing  is  more  so  than  the  defence  of  the  Cross ;  and  this  order 
would  be  at  the  same  time  religious  and  political.  I  write  without 
having  reflected ;  this  idea  requires  to  be  matured. 


[160.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May,  21, 1S06. 

My  Brother, — You  have  not  sent  me  the  name  of  the  gov 
ernor  of  the  village  who  came  to  the  assistance  of  the  300  men 
of  the  6th  regiment,  nor  the  name  of  the  captain  in  that  regiment 
who  tore  down  the  standard  which  the  rebels  had  planted  on  the 
church  tower. 

The  intelligence  that  I  have  from  Russia  is  all  pacific.  The 
Russians  will  abandon  the  Queen  of  Naples.  Prussia  is  at  war 
with  Sweden  and  England.  The  harbour  of  Cattaro  is  soon  to 
be  given  up  to  me.  Eight  or  ten  cruisers,  which  I  have  in  the 
different  seas,  inflict  frightful  damage  upon  the  English  trade. 


[  161.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  May  21. 1S06. 

My  Brother, — You  keep  too  large  a  force  in  Puglia.  Two  or 
three  regiments  of  calvary,  five  pieces  of  artillery,  and  2500  or 
3000  men,  Italians  or  Poles,  are  more  than  sufficient  in  that 
province  on  the  coast  of  the  Adriatic.  To  guard  coasts,  it  is 
especially  calvary  and  field  artillery  that  are  wanted.  2000  or 
3000  men  are  enough  at  Pescara.  Keep  6000  or  7000  men  with 
in  reach  of  G-aeta,  with  calvary  and  field  artillery.  The  least 


MAT,  1800.  DISTRUST  NECESSARY.  127 

check  before  this  place  through  a  sally  of  the  enemy,  who  would 
destroy  your  works,  would  make  you  lose  the  labors  of  a  month, 
perhaps  even  some  of  your  siege-train,  and  would  give  your  ene 
mies  a  mischievous  reputation.  Put  Marshal  Massena  before 
Gaeta;  give  him  7000  men,  and  make  the  works  of  the  siege  go 
on.  What  has  Massena  to  do  at  Naples  $ 


[  162.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

May  24,  1506. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  15th  May. 
You  are  not  well  acquainted  with  any  populace,  still  less  with 
that  of  Italy.  You  trust  too  much  to  their  demonstrations. 
Take  your  precautions  well,  but  without  causing  alarm.  At  the 
least  disturbance  on  the  Continent,  that  is  to  say,  at  the  very  in 
stant  when  you  require  proofs  of  their  attachment,  you  will  see 
how  little  you  can  depend  upon  them.  I  shall  not  answer  you  on 
the  subject  of  the  body  guard.*  You  must  not  suppose  me  to  be 
so  ignorant  of  the  present  disposition  of  Europe  as  to  believe  that 
Naples  is  too  philosophic  to  have  any  prejudices  in  favour  of 
birth ;  and  if  Naples  seems  so  to  your  eyes,  it  is  because  all  con 
quered  nations  put  on  the  same  appearance,  disguising  their  senti 
ments  and  their  habits,  and  prostrating  themselves  with  respect 
before  him  who  holds  their  fortunes  and  their  lives  in  his  hand. 
You  will  admit  that  there  are  prejudices  as  to  birth  in  Vienna. 
Well,  the  princes  there  invited  private  soldiers  to  their  tables. 
Besides,  what  I  do  is  less  for  the  sake  of  Naples  than  for  that  of 
France,  where  I  wish  to  unite  all  classes  and  all  opinions.  As 
for  the  army,  when  they  are  told  that  it  is  my  command,  I  hope 
that  they  will  have  the  goodness  to  approve  of  it ,'  I  have  not  ac 
customed  them  to  interfere  with  what  I  do. 

I  foresaw  what  has  happened  at  Capri. f     With  regard  to  a 

*  Joseph  had  requested  that  gardes-du-corps  should  not  be  sent  to  him 
from  France,  on  the  ground  that  the  Neapolitan  noblesse  were  anxious  to  serve 
in  his  body-guard,  and  lived  familiarly  with  their  French  colleagues,  and  that 
the  strangers  would  be  ill  received  by  the  noblesse  and  by  the  French  army. — 
TR. 

f  It  was  taken,  with  its  garrison,  by  Sir  Sidney  Smith. — TK. 


128  SIEGE  OF  GAETA.  CIJAK  VI. 

solitary  island  there  is  but  one  alternative — to  put  into  it  a  great 
many  troops  or  none  at  all. 

There  have  arrived  at  Alexandria  only  800  convicts.  If  you 
really  sent  off  4000,  and  they  have  escaped  on  the  road,  your 
kingdom  must  be  poisoned. 

Without  doubt  you  should  form  companies  of  your  guard 
from  the  Neapolitan  nobility.  What  I  purpose  to  send  to  you 
from  France  is  a  very  small  number. 

I  advise  you  again  not  to  be  intoxicated  by  the  demonstrations 
of  the  Neapolitans.*  Conquest  produces  on  every  people  the 
same  effect  as  it  now  does  upon  them.  They  seem  favourable  to 
you  because  the  opposite  party  is  silent ;  but  as  soon  as  the  C  on- 
tinent  is  troubled,  when  the  40,000  French  calvary,  infantry,  and 
artillery,  now  in  the  kingdom,  are  reduced  to  a  few  thousands,  and 
the  news  is  spread  that  I  have  been  beaten  on  the  Isouzo,  and 
that  Venice  is  abandoned,  you  will  see  what  will  become  of  this 
fine  attachment.  And  how  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  What  have 
you  done  for  them  ?  What  knowledge  have  you  of  them  ?  They 
see  the  power  of  France,  and  they  think  that,  because  you  are 
appointed  King  of  Naples,  all  is  settled,  because  fate  has  ordered 
it,  because  it  is  new,  and  because  there  is  no  help  for  it. 

You  are  wrong  to  send  Corsicans  who  have  served  England  to 
the  departments ;  they  will  infect  the  country.  Send  them  to 
Alexandria,  and  let  me  have  a  return  of  them.  I  will  see  to  their 
being  formed  into  a  corps. 

[  163.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  24, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  16th  May. 
I  should  have  liked  to  have  the  details  of  the  sortie  of  the  enemy 
from  Graeta.  You  do  not  besiege  the  place  regularly.  T  have 
already  told  you  to  keep  Marshal  Massena  there,  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  brigadier-generals  to  admit  of  there  always  being  one 
in  the  trenches.  You  should  have  6000  or  7000  men.  You  do 

*  Joseph  had  represented  the  Neapolitans  as  attached  to  his  government 
and  to  his  person. — TR. 


MAT.  1806.  NAPLE9.-COAST-GUAKD.  129 

not  want  so  many  troops  on  the  coast  of  the  Adriatic.  I  should 
have  liked  a  report  of  the  attacks  on  Ischia  and  Procida.  Either 
keep  many  troops  there  or  none  :  it  is  an  opportunity  for  making 
use  of  Neapolitans  or  Italians.  With  the  army  which  you 
have,  you  should  suffer  no  check  and  endure  no  affront. 

Sir  Sidney  Smith  is  a  man  whom  it  is  easy  to  deceive.  I 
have  often  laid  traps  for  him,  and  he  has  always  fallen  into  them ; 
when  he  has  suffered  three  or  four  times,  he  will  get  tired. 


[  164.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

SU  CIouc,  May  26, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  wish  you  to  send  to  my  cabinet  all  the  news 
papers,  and  the  new  publications  that  appear  in  your  kingdom. 
I  shall  have  extracts  taken  from  them,  and  so  learn  many  in 
teresting  details.  I  have  ordered  M.  Lavalette  to  send  what 
appears  here  to  you. 

[  165.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  May  27, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  cannot  send  you  any  more  artillerymen 
All  troops  are  fit  to  serve  coast-batteries,  even  cavalry.  I  must 
repeat  to  you  that  a  regiment  of  infantry  must  be  sent  to  Civita 
Vecchia.  You  have  three  times  the  number  of  troops  that  you 
want.  It  is  essential  to  occupy  Civita  Yecchia,  in  order  to  de 
prive  the  English  of  all  correspondence  with  Home.  What  are 
you  doing  with  the  immense  force  of  cavalry  which  you  keep  at 
Naples  ?  You  have  also  too  many  troops  on  the  coast  of  the 
Adriatic.  If  you  have  hopes  of  soon  making  your  expedition 
into  Sicily,  -you  can,  as  I  have  already  told  you,  defer  taking 
Graeta.  If  you  do  not  see  an  early  opportunity  of  crossing  into 
Sicily,  I  think  that  you  should  make  haste  to  get  rid  of  this 
blister  Graeta.  Time  lost  is  not  to  be  regained,  and  Civita  Vec 
chia  ought  already  to  be  occupied. 

If  you  cast  a  glance  upon  all  the  coasts  which  I  am  obliged  to 
furnish  with  troops,  from  Kagusa  all  the  way  to  the  Texel,  you 
will  see  that  yours  is  the  point  of  the  empire  upon  which  I  have 
the  largest  force  assembled. 

VOL.  I.— 6* 


130  PRECAUTIONAKY  MEASURES.  CHAP.  VI 

It  is  not  by  placing  troops  everywhere,  but  by  making  them 
move  about,  that  you  will  guard  all  points.  Moreover,  you  must 
not  be  disconcerted  at  the  landing  of  50  English  upon  your  shore, 
since  they  disembark  even  upon  my  coast  of  Normandy  and  La 
Vendee ;  but  I  take  no  notice  of  them ;  the  peasants  ring  the 
tocsin,  and  provide  for  their  own  defence  :  from  Ostend  to  the 
Pyrenees  I  have  not  4000  men. 

Establish  a  good  police  and  courts-martial,  and  you  will  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  English.  Never  talk  about  Sir  Sidney 
Smith ;  all  that  he  wants  is  to  make  a  noise,  and  the  more  you 
talk  about  him  the  more  he  will  intrigue. 

Europe  is  not  yet  quiet.  The  Russians,  who  said  that  they 
had  despatched  the  order  to  evacuate  Cattaro,  make  delays.  They 
are  having,  a  great  discussion  on  the  subject  with  the  Court  of 
Vienna.  You  should  reflect,  and,  without  taking  alarm,  you 
should  ask  yourself  what  decision  you  would  take  if  I  should  have 
occasion  to  recall  my  army  upon  the  Adige.  Could  you  remain 
at  Naples  with  a  quarter  of  the  force  which  you  have,  and  send 
back  three-quarters  into  upper  Italy  ?  You  have  at  Naples  some 
detachments  of  the  60th ;  send  them  to  join  their  corps.  This 
manner  of  dispersing  the  army  is  fatal  to  discipline  and  order. 


[166.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  May  30,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  am  not  surprised  at  your  praise  of  Marshal 
Jourdan.  I  was  equally  well  satisfied  with  his  administration  of 
the  kingdom  of  Italy.  He  is  honest,  active,  and  temperate. 

I  cannot  see  why  you  leave  Marshal  Massena  at  Capua ;  send 
him  before  Gaeta,  and  desire  him  to  direct  with  activity  all  the 
operations  of  the  siege. 


[167.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  81, 1S06. 

My  Brother, — Do  not  organise  your  guard  so  as  to  be  under 
the  control  of  a  single  commander ;  nothing  can  be  more  danger 
ous.  Sooner  or  later  it  would  be  necessary  to  retrace  your  steps, 


MAT,  1806.  NAPLES.— PRECAUTIONARY  MEASURES.  131 

and  it  is  better  not  to  start  in  a  wrong  direction.  I  havo  told 
you  already,  and  I  repeat  it,  that  you  place  too  much  confidence 
in  the  Neapolitans.  I  say  this  especially  with  respect  to  your 
kitchen  and  the  guards  of  your  person :  lest  you  should  be  poi 
soned  or  assassinated,  I  make  a  point  that  you  keep  your  French 
cooks,  that  you  have  your  table  attended  to  by  your  own  servants, 
and  that  your  household  be  so  arranged  that  you  may  be  always 
guarded  by  Frenchmen.  You  have  not  been  sufficiently  acquaint 
ed  with  my  private  life  to  know  how  much,  even  in  France,  I  have 
always  kept  myself  under  the  guard  of  nay  most  trusty  and  oldest 
soldiers. 

Of  all  the  men  on  whom  you  have  conferred  appointments  I 
know  no  one,  except  the  Duke  di  San-Teodoro,  whose  corrttspond- 
ence  with  the  Queen  when  he  was  at  Madrid  I  have  seen.  Be  he 
what  he  may,  I  do  not  disapprove  of  your  having  made  him 
Master  of  the  Ceremonies.  But  take  care  that  your  valets-de- 
cliambre,  your  cooks,  the  guards  who  sleep  in  your  apartments, 
and  those  who  come  during  the  night  to  awaken  you  with  dis 
patches,  are  Frenchmen. 

No  one  should  enter  your  room  during  the  night  except  your 
aide-de-camp,  who  should  sleep  in  the  chamber  that  precedes  your 
bed-room.  Your  do6r  should  be  fastened  inside,  and  you  ought 
not  to  open  it,  even  to  your  aide-de-camp,  till  you  have  recognised 
his  voice ;  he  himself  should  not  knock  at  your  door  till  he  has 
locked  that  of  the  room  which  he  is  in,  to  make  sure  of  being 
alone,  and  of  being  followed  by  no  one.  These  precautions  are 
important ;  they  give  no  trouble,  and  the  result  is,  that  they  in 
spire  confidence,  besides  that  they  may  really  save  your  life.  You 
should  establish  these  habits  immediately,  and  for  a  continuance ; 
you  ought  not  to  be  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  them  on  some 
emergency,  which  would  hurt  the  feelings  of  those  around  you. 
Do  not  trust  only  to  your  own  experience.  The  Neapolitan  cha 
racter  has  been  notorious  in  every  age,  and  you  have  to  do  with 
a  woman  who  is  the  impersonation  of  crime. 

I  have  sent  you  some  auditors  whom  I  wish  you  to  employ ; 
you  can  rely  upon  their  honesty. 


132  THEAEMT.  Cau>.  VI 

It  is  reported  everywhere  that  Civitella  has  been  taken  with 
150  of  the  garrison. 

[168.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  May  31, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  21st.  Of 
all  your  marshals  Jourdan  is  the  one  whom  you  can  least  spare; 
for  it  is  indispensable  that  you  should  have  a  governor  of  Naples 
who  may  govern  the  town  with  judgment  and  activity  during  your 
absence.  He  does  not  require  a  large  staff.  I  have  already 
written  to  you  that  you  may  send  back  all  the  generals  whom  you 
do  not  care  to  keep.  Your  most  ruinous  expense  is  your  cavalry, 
and  half  of  them  can  be  of  no  use  to  you.  I  see  no  difficulty  in 
your  sending  back  to  Ancona  and  Civita  Vecchia  all  that  you  do 
not  want.  As  it  is  necessary  that  the  number  of  horses  in  my 
cavalry  regiments  should  be  complete,  I  have  furnished  the  funds 
enabling  them  to  have  700  horses  each.  I  wish  your  cavalry 
regiments  to  be  remounted  at  Naples,  where  the  horses  are  good. 
You  will  see  in  my  decree  that  you  are  to  provide  a  sufficient 
number  for  the  three  squadrons  of  each  of  your  regiments  to  have 
540  horses.  This  money  shall  be  immediately  repaid  to  you.  I 
wish  you  to  send  back  in  preference  the  regiments  of  dragoons, 
as  I  should  like  to  assemble  them,  and  to  put  them  into  training, 
so  that  they  may  be  on  a  par  with  those  of  the  grand  army. 
Send  back  the  cadres  of  the  3rd  and  4th  battalions ;  it  will  be 
another  saving  of  expense.  Send  also  all  the  majors.  Send  back 
the  battalion  of  the  3rd  light  infantry,  and  let  it  march  towards 
Grenoble.  It  is  of  little  use  to  you,  and  must  cost  you  a  great 
deal ;  and  I  wish  to  recast  it.  I  see  that  the  Italian  regiments 
have  a  great  many  men  in  the  hospitals :  you  have  four  of  these 
regiments.  Send  back  two  at  least.  You  have  in  fact  an  army 
of  52,000  effective  soldiers ;  that  is  a  great  deal  more  than  you 
want.  Of  these  52,000  you  have  44,000  present  under  arms  and 
6000  in  the  hospitals,  without  counting  the  Neapolitan  regiments 
that  you  may  have  raised.  .  By  sending  back  two  regiments  of  in 
fantry  and  three  of  Italian  cavalry,  four  regiments  of  French 
dragoons,  and  the  battalion  of  the  32nd,  you  will  not  materially 


MAT,  1806.  NAPLES.— THE  AEMY.  J33 

diminish  your  forces,  although  your  finances  will  be  much  relieved. 
It  appears,  too,  that  the  Neapolitans  are  so  favourably  disposed 
towards  you  that  you  may  easily  raise  one  or  two  Neapolitan 
regiments,  who  would  serve  you  as  well  as  the  Italians.  You 
have  sent  me  no  monthly  return ;  I  wish  to  have  one  with  every 
detail.  I  want  always  to  keep  a  certain  number  of  soldiers  in  the 
kingdom  of  Italy ;  and  if  so  many  troops  are  kept  at  Naples,  I  am 
obliged  to  form  new  regiments,  which  is  a  considerable  increase 
of  expense. 

You  have  four  regiments  of  light  infantry  and  ten  regiments 
of  the  line,  all  French ;  six  regiments  of  dragoons  and  five  of 
chasseurs,  also  French ;  four  regiments  of  infantry  of  the  line  and 
three  of  cavalry,  all  Italian ;  one  of  Polish  foot  and  one  of  Pol 
ish  horse;  one  cavalry  regiment  of  Hanoverian  chasseurs,  one 
Swiss  regiment,  and  a  battalion  of  the  32nd  French  light  infantry  ; 
so  that  you  have  more  than  7000  horse.  You  may  very  well 
send  back  the  1400  men  of  the  three  Italian  regiments  and  the 
1600  which  form  the  four  regiments  of  French  dragoons ;  you  will 
still  have  4000  horse,  and  your  finances  will  be  greatly  relieved. 
If  you  part  with  3000  Italian  foot-soldiers  and  the  531  French 
of  the  32nd  light  infantry,  you  will  also,  without  weakening  your 
self  to  any  great  extent,  considerably  reduce'  your  expenses. 
1.500  horses  are  the  most  that  could  cross  over  into  Sicily ;  and 
if  you  keep  7000  for  the  rest  of  your  kingdom,  you  will  have  an 
army  of  30,000  men.  At  present  you  have  45,000  :  far  too  many. 
Add  to  this,  that  when  you  have  landed  in  Sicily  you  will  no 
longer  be  menaced  on  your  coasts,  for  every  effort  of  the  enemy 
will  be  directed  on  Sicily. 

I  repeat  to  you  again  that,  with  respect  to  the  generals,  you 
may  send  back  whomever  you  please,  as  well  as  any  of  the  other 
staff  officers.  I  have  just  ordered  a  levy  of  3000  Dalmatians, 
which  will  cost  much.  If  I  had  had  two  of  the  Italian  regiments 
which  you  have  at  Naples  I  should  have  sent  them  to  Dalmatia 
and  saved  myself  a  great  expense.  If  you  do  not  send  me  two, 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  make  another  levy.  However,  as  I  have 
already  told  you,  you  may  retain  or  dismiss  just  as  you  like,  pro 
vided  that  you  do  not  ask  me  for  money,  and  that  you  keep  all 


134  CRITICISM  OF  JOSEPH'S  SPEECH.  CHAP.  VI. 

your  troops  in  good  order.  You  must  get  for  yourself  money, 
for  it  is  the  mainspring  of  all.  The  kingdom  of  Italy,  of  which 
the  population  is  not  greater,  and  the  wealth  is  smaller,  than  those 
of  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  pays  more  than  110,000,000  in  contri 
butions.  The  establishment  of  municipal  dues,  of  indirect  taxes, 
the  revocation  of  grants,  the  destruction  of  privileges,  and  uni 
formity  of  administration,  are  measures  which  you  will  regret  not 
to  have  taken  during  the  war.  What  you  can  do  now  will  not  be 
possible  two  years  hence. 

Your  7000  horse  cannot  cost  you,  all  included,  less  than 
7,000,000 ;  you  would  save  3,000,000  if  you  sent  back  3000. 
The  calculation  of  what  an  army  costs,  including  the  pay,  the 
staff,  the  hospitals,  &c.,  is  1000  francs  a  man  for  the  cavalry  and 
500  for  the  infantry.  You  have  45,000  foot  and  7000  horse ; 
that  makes  29,000,000.  By  getting  rid  of  7000  horse  and  some 
useless  people  you  may  reduce  your  expenses  to  22,000,000.  I 
wish  you  to  keep  the  Hanoverians,  because,  as  they  are  Germans, 
I  could  not  employ  them  against  Austria.  Keep  also  the  Poles. 


[  169.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  3, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  could  not  put  M.  Roederer's  speech  in  the 
'  Moniteur,'  because,  in  truth,  it  is  nonsense.  He  speaks  in  the 
name  of  the  Senate  as  he  would  do  in  a  newspaper  article.  He 
compares  me  to  Machiavelli.  I  never  saw  a  speech  with  so  little 
meaning  in  it,  and  on  an  occasion  when  so  many  good  things 
might  have  been  said.  I  also  see  some  passages  in  your  speech 
which  you  must  allow  me  to  think  ill-judged.  You  compare  the 
attachment  of  the  French  to  my  person  to  that  of  the  Neapoli 
tans  for  you :  that  looks  like  a  satire.  What  love  for  you  can 
"have  a  people  for  whom  you  have  done  nothing  ? — whom  you 
govern  by  right  of  conquest  with  40,000  or  50,000  foreigners  ? 
In  general,  the  less  you  speak  of  me  and  of  France,  directly  or 
indirectly,  in  your  State  papers,  the  better  it  will  be.  There  are 
also  some  remarks  upon  the  Senate  which  appeared  to  me  ridicu 
lous,  and  were  thought  so  by  several  members  of  our  Senate,  men 
of  sense.  I  have  seen  several  letters  of  yours,  in  which  you  talk 


JUNE,  1806.  AKMS  AND  ORDERS.  135 

of  your  colleagues,  of  Permon,  Berlier,  &o. ;  that  is  out  of  place, 
and  tends  to  give  you  a  character  which  does  not  belong  to  you. 
You  must  be  a  king,  and  speak  as  a  king.  You  would  be  ill  off 
if  your  only  claim  to  the  goodwill  of  the  senators  and  the  con- 
seillers  d'etat  of  France  consisted  in  having  been  their  inferior 
or  their  colleague  in  a  corps  legislatif.  Such  language  displeases 
even  those  to  whom  you  write. 

I  do  not  think  that  M.  Roederer  can  be  a  Senator  of  France 
and  at  the  same  time  your  prime  minister.  Keep  him,  if  you 
like,  as  a  companion ;  he  has  qualities  which  I  value,  but  he  has 
no  tact;  he  will  make  no  friends  for  }ou,  he  will  give  you  no 
good  advice.  If  you  had  no  French  army,  and  the  late  King  of 
Naples  no  English  one,  which  would  be  the  stronger  in  Naples  ? 
I  certainly  am  not  in  want  of  a  foreign  army  to  keep  me  in 
Paris.  I  am  sorry  to  see  in  your  letters  that  you  are  captivated 
by  particular  services.  To  be  captivated  is  very  dangerous. 
The  Neapolitans  behave  well ;  there  is  nothing  extraordinary  in 
that :  you  have  treated  them  kindly ;  they  expected  worse  at  the 
hands  of  a  man  who  was  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  50,000  men. 
Your  disposition  is  mild  and  temperate ;  you  have  a  good  under 
standing,  and  you  are  appreciated ;  but  this  is  very  far  from  a 
national  feeling,  from  a  submission  and  attachment  founded  on 
reason  and  interest.  These  distinctions  ought  not  to  escape  you. 
I  do  not  know  why  I  tell  you  these  things,  for  they  will  certainly 
annoy  you.  What  I  want  is  that  your  acts  and  your  language 
should  be  decorous,  and  suitable  to  your  character. 


[  170.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  3,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  a  note  from  the  Foreign  Office  on 
the  arms  of  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  What  they  suggest  appears 
to  me  to  be  reasonable  enough,  except  that  I  think  that  the  order 
of  the  Crescent  ought  to  be  omitted;  it  is  obsolete,  and  it 
ought  not  to  be  revived,  as  the  Grand  Seignior  has  adopted  it. 
The  Legion  of  Honour  might  be  substituted,  or  the  new  order 
which  you  are  to  establish. 


136  JOURDAN  AND  MASSENA.  CHAP.  VL 

f 

|  171.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  3, 1806. 

My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  24th  of  May. 
I  know  Marshal  Jourdan  well ;  you  should  attach  him  to  your 
person ;  he  is  experienced,  moderate,  active,  and  devoted.  I  know 
no  man  more  fit  for  the  government  of  Naples:  for  you  must 
have  one  upon  whom  you  can  entirely  depend,  who  will  watch  the 
town,  which  is  the  more  important  as  it  is  on  your  maritime  fron 
tier.  He  will  receive  the  revenues  of  the  duchy  which  I  shall 
give  him  from  among  those  which  I  have  reserved  for  myself  in 
the  kingdom  of  Naples.  You  should  add  to  it  a  good  salary  as 
governor,  so  as  to  give  him  a  great  position  in  the  country. 
Jourdan  and  Reynier  are  the  two  men  whose  services  you  should 
secure.  Massena  is  good  for  nothing  as  a  civilian,  he  is  incapable 
of  attachment.  He  is  a  good  soldier,  but  entirely  devoted  to 
money ;  it  is  the  sole  motive  of  his  conduct,  and  his  only  incite 
ment  to  action,  even  when  under  my  eye.  At  first  he  coveted 
only  small  sums ;  but  now  thousands  of  millions  would  not  satis 
fy  him.  I  am  astonished  to  learn  from  your  letters,  and  from 
other  sources  of  information,  that  the  Abruzzi  are  not  yet  sub 
dued.  What  are  Reynier  and  St.  Cyr  about  ?  Are  they  asleep  ? 
This  is  a  new  manner  of  doing  duty. 

[  172.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  3, 1806,  11  A.  M. 

My  Brother, — The  conduct  of  the  court  of  Rome  bears  the 
stamp  of  madness.  I  wished  with  the  first  stroke  to  make  them 
feel  all  that  they  had  to  fear  from  me ;  and  besides,  I  thought 
that,  in  any  circumstances,  the  insulated  papal  territories  of 
Benevento  and  of  Ponte  Corvo  could  not  fail  to  be  troublesome 
to  your  kingdom.  I  have  made  them  into  two  duchies  :  that  of 
Benevento  for  Talleyrand,  and  that  of  Ponte  Corvo  for  Berna- 
dotte.  I  know  that  these  provinces  are  poor,  but  Talleyrand  is 
rich,  and  I  will  make  Bernadotte's  duchy  worth  having.  Lq, 
these  territories  be  occupied,  at  first,  as  mere  military  positions. 
You  must  be  aware  that  I  give  the  titles  of  Duke  and  Prince  to 


June,  1SOO.  NEAPOLITAN  DUCHIES.  137 

Bernadotte  for  your  wife's  sake ;  for  I  have  in  my  army  generals 
who  have  served  me  better,  and  on  whose  attachment  I  have  more 
reason  to  rely.  But  I  thought  that  it  was  proper  that  the  brother- 
in-law  of  the  Queen  of  Naples  should  have  a  distinguished  position 
in  your  kingdom.  As  for  the  other  six  duchies,  I  shall  be  able 
to  bestow  them  without"  difficulty.  Both  Massena  and  Jourdan 
would  do.  Every  blot  disappears  in  time,  and  the  names  of  the 
conqueror  at  Fleurus,  and  of  the  conqueror  at  Zurich,  will  live, 
and  will  be  all  that  will  be  remembered  in  the  time  of  their 
children.  When  you  are  master  of  Sicily,  create  three  more 
fiefs,  and  give  one  to  Reynier.  I  assume  that  you  put  him  at  the 
head  of  your  expedition,  and  it  will  be  no  small  encouragement 
to  him  if  he  has  some  notion  of  what  I  intend  to  do  for  him. 

Tell  me  what  titles  you  would  give  to  the  duchies  in  your 
kingdom.  The  titles  are  not  so  important  as  the  property 
attached  to  them.  Each  should  have  200,000  fr.  a  year.  I  have 
required,  also,  that  the  owners  of  the  titles  should  have  a  resi 
dence  in  Paris,  for  the  centre  of  the  whole  system  is  there.  1 
intend  to  have  in  Paris  one  hundred  fortunes,  all  of  them  having 
grown  up  with  the  throne,  and  alone  preserved  by  entails,  while  all 
other  fortunes  will  be  split  into  fragments  by  our  law  of  inheritance. 
Establish  our  civil  code  in  Naples ;  by  that  means  all  the  fortunes 
which  you  do  not  preserve  will  disappear  in  a  few  years.  This  is 
the  great  advantage  of  our  civil  code.  If  the  rules  about 
divorce  make  a  difficulty  for  you  at  Naples,  I  see  no  objection  to 
cancelling  that  head  of  the  code ;  nevertheless  I  think  it  a  useful 
one ;  for  why  should  the  Pope  interfere  in  cases  of  nullity  of 
marriage  ?  Change  it,  however,  if  you  think  it  necessary.  As  to 
registrations,  you  may  leave  them  to  the  clergy.  With  these 
modifications  you  ought  to  introduce  our  civil  code ;  it  will  con 
solidate  your  power,  since  by  means  of  it  all  that  is  not  entailed 
is  broken  up,  and  there  remain  no  other  great  families  than  those 
which  you  endow  with  fiefs.  It  is  this  that  has  always  made  me 
advocate  the  civil  code,  and  which  determined  me  to  establish 
it. 

In  an  hour  I  am  to  receive  the  Turkish  ambassador,  proclaim 
Prince  Louis  King  of  Holland,  and  Cardinal  Fesch  coadjutor 


138  SIEGE  OP  GAETA.  CHAP.  VI. 

of  the  Elector,  the  Arch-Chancellor.  I  wish  you  to  send  2 
squadrons  of  cavalry  and  some  infantry  to  Benevento  and  to 
Ponte  Corvo ;  pray  consider  this  as  an  express  order,  and  appoint 
a  commandant  to  those  places  who  will  deliver  them  over  to  Ber- 
nadotte  and  Talleyrand;  this  will  prevent  meetings,  petitions, 
&c.  As  this  news  will  get  into  the  papers  in  two  days'  time, 
you  must  not  lose  a  moment.  Cardinal  Ruffo  has  arrived  at 
Ancona ;  if  I  had  foreseen  it,  I  would  have  written  to  Lemar- 
rois  to  arrest  him  and  send  him  to  Paris. 


[173.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  6,1 806. 

My  Brother, — From  all  I  hear  about  Gaeta,  it  appears  that 
the  Neapolitans  have  spiked  4  of  your  guns,  that  they  succeeded 
in  their  sortie,  and  killed  many  of  your  French  troops;  that 
before  that  place  the  duty  is  not  performed  regularly,  and  that 
your  army  makes  war  as  if  it  consisted  of  recruits.  I  have  told 
you  a  hundred  times  that  you  should  keep  4  brigadier-generals 
before  G-aeta,  as  one  ought  always  to  pass  24  hours  in  the  trench 
es,  wrapped  in  his  cloak ;  and  that  you  should  have  at  least  6000 
men  there.  I  really  cannot  imagine  what  you  do  with  your 
40,000  men.  You  require  a  first-rate  general  to  command  before 
Gaeta :  you  have  marshals  and  generals  everywhere  except  where 
they  should  be.  Since  the  world  began,  the  reliefs  in  the  trench 
es  have  never  been  made  by  daylight.  I  have  no  returns  of  your 
army.  I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  done  as  I  told  you  with 
respect  to  Ancona  and  Civita  Vecchia;  so  that  I  am  ignorant  of 
the  position  of  my  army  of  Naples.  I  desire,  however,  that  you 
will  not  demoralize  my  troops  by  allowing  them  to  be  beaten  by 
Neapolitans.  The  sally  from  Gaeta  is  a  real  defeat,  encouraging 
to  the  Neapolitans  and  discouraging  to  my  soldiers. 


[  174.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  June  6,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  -received  your  letter  of  the  27th  of  May. 
It  would  be  of  great  importance  if  you  could  at  length  execute 
your  invasion  of  Sicily.  Peace  may  be  made  at  any  moment, 


.leys,  1806.  MASSEXA  AND  JOURDAN.  139 

and  the  uncertainty  of  your  operations  would  cause  delay.*  In 
your  letter  you  do  not  tell  me  the  number  of  your  vessels,  nor 
do  you  enter  into  any  details ;  so  that  I  do  not  know  whether 
your  expedition  is  ready  or  not.  It  is  urgent,  however,  that  I 
should  have  very  precise  information  on  the  subject.  How  do 
you  intend  to  embark  your  troops  ?  In  what  port  will  you  place 
them  while  waiting  for  an  opportunity  ?  You  ought  to  land  9000 
men  at  once,  with  10  pieces  of  cannon  and  300  charges  for  each, 
15  rations  of  biscuit,  and  50  cartridges  per  man.  Marshal 
Jourdan  is  much  more  fit  to  command  troops  in  the  interior  than 
Marshal  Massena,  who,  on  the  other  hand,  is  much  more  capable 
of  helping  you  to  take  Sicily  by  a  coup-de-main.  To  command 
the  9000  men  who  are  to  land  first  in  Sicily,  you  want  a  man  of 
determined  character,  who  has  mixed  in  great  events.  General 
Verdier  would  do,  perhaps,  better  than  Keynier ;  if  you  do  not 
appoint  Massena,  send  them  both.  In  war,  as  in  literature,  each 
man  has  his  own  style.  For  sharp  and  prolonged  attacks  requir 
ing  great  boldness,  Massena  would  do  better  than  Reynier.  To 
protect  the  kingdom  against  invasion  in  your  absence,  Jourdan  is 
preferable  to  Massena. 

Simultaneously  with  the  departure  of  your  expedition,  you 
must  push  on  the  siege  of  Gaeta,  in  order  to  attract  thither  as 
many  as  possible  of  the  English  vessels.  When  once  you  have 
effected  a  landing,  I  shall  consider  Sicily  as  conquered.  This  is 
what  will  happen  : — The  enemy  will  oppose  your  landing ;  failing 
in  that  they  will  attack  you  in  36  hours,  and  if  beaten  will  retire 
to  their  ships.  Although  the  strait  is  only  two  or  three  leagues 
wide,  the  currents  sre  so  strong  that  it  is  possible  that  the  same 
boats  may  not  be  able  to  go,  come  back,  and  return  to  Sicily  in 
those  decisive  36  hours.  You  want  first  boats,  and  then  a  har 
bour  ;  in  a  fortnight,  sooner  or  later,  you  will  have  the  boats,  for 
the  speronari,  the  Neapolitan  feluccas,  or  anything  else  will  do. 
What  harbour  have  you  chosen  ?  How  many  boats  of  all  kinds 
can  it  hold  ?  What  boats  have  you  ?  I  want  clear  notions  on 

*  The  negotiation  conducted  by  Lord  Yarmouth  and  Talleyrand  was  still 
pending ;  the  fate  of  Sicily  was  the  great  question. — TK. 


140  NAPLES.— INVASION  OF  SICILY.  CHAP..VL 

these  matters.  It  would  be  madness  to  attempt  to  land  an  ad 
vanced  guard  of  less  than  9000  or  10,000  men.  From  the  infor 
mation  which  I  have  received,  it  appears  that  there  are  in  Sicily 
nearly  6000  English. 

On  reading  over  your  letter  with  attention,  I  find  some  pas 
sages  which  I  do  not  understand.  You  say  that  General  Reynier 
is  to  establish  a  battery  on  the  other  side,  opposite  to  Pezzo,  and 
that  then  the  rest  of  the  army  will  cross  over.  By  sending  some 
gunboats,  without  doubt  this  battery  may  be  easily  established ; 
but  you  must  not  wait  for  it.  In  this  case  two-thirds  of  your 
boats  should  carry  only  troops,  every  one  of  whom  should  have 
his  50  cartridges,  and  there  must  be  50  per  man  in  reserve  dis 
tributed  to  the  companies,  12  or  15  rations  of  biscuit,  and  a  few 
rations  of  brandy.  The  remaining  third  should  be  loaded  with 
artillery,  so  that,  two  hours  after  the  landing,  the  boats  that  car 
ried  the  troops  may  return  to  bring  others,  without  caring  whether 
there  are  batteries  or  not,  or  waiting  for  them  to  be  prepared. 
9000  or  10,000  picked  men  are  worth  20,000:  unquestionably 
they  will  be  enough,  if  there  are  only  6000  or  7000  English,  to 
take  Sicily ;  not  that  I  object  to  5000  or  6000  men  being  sent 
afterwards.  You  must  trust  to  no  one  to  choose  these  troops. 
These  9000  men  must  be  the  elite  of  20,000;  they  must  be  well 
armed  and  distributed  in  three  divisions,  each  commanded  by  two 
brigadiers  and  a  general  of  division,  all  true  soldiers  and  men  of 
vigour.  Each  division  should  have  six  guns,  and  some  engineer 
officers.  If  you  have  these,  whether  the  remainder  join  them  or 
not,  you  will  be  master  of  the  country. 

Under  the  circumstances  I  consider  Massena  to  be  the  best  to 
command  these  three  divisions.  If  you  were  really  accustomed 
to  war.  I  should  advise  you  to  accompany  them ;  but  it  is  better 
that  you  should  stay  at  Naples :  it  would  be  risking  too  much, 
and  you  would  be  of  no  use,  for,  after  all,  your  presence  would 
not  add  to  their  strength.  You  have  not  sufficient  practice  in 
campaigning  to  make  the  good  of  your  presence  compensate  for 
the  harm  which  your  being  beaten  would  do.  I  think  that  you 
should  establish  yourself  at  Reggio  to  direct  the  embarkation 
yourself.  Your  presence  will,  without  doubt,  be  necessary  after- 


JUNE,  1806.  INVASION  OF  SICILY.  141 

wards,  but  it  will  be  in  the  interior  of  Sicily,  when  your  9000 
men  have  landed.  It  is  probable  that  your  expedition  will  not  be 
larger.  You  will  be  wanted  in  Sicily  as  you  were  in  Calabria, 
to  manage  the  political  and  internal  affairs.  You  should  aspire 
to  the  kind  of  glory  which  suits  you,  and  not  risk  it  all  for  the 
sake  of  another.  When  you  have  organised  the  expedition,  you 
will  have  the  credit  of  it,  and  a  general  acquainted  with  war  will 
do  better  without  than  with  you.  If  you  organise  the  expedition 
of  Sicily  on  the  principle  that  you  are  to  accompany  it,  and  the 
chances  of  the  sea  prevent  that,  your  reputation  may  suffer. 

I  think,  then,  that  the  expedition  should  be  organised  on  the 
supposition  of  your  absence ;  that  the  advanced  guard  of  9000 
men  should  be  landed  at  once ;  and  that  the  5000  or  6000  men, 
by  whom  they  are  to  be  reinforced  and  kept  up  to  their  proper 
number,  should  be  ready  to  follow.  You  are  a  soldier  only  so  far 
as  a  king  ought  to  be ;  if  you  undertake  the  details  of  the  ex 
pedition,  you  expose  yourself  uselessly  to  what  may  be  very  dis 
agreeable;  If  Sicily  were  nearer,  and  I  myself  could  be  with  the 
advanced  guard,  I  should  go  over  with  it ;  but  then  my  experience 
of  war  might  enable  me  with  these  9000  troops  to  beat  30,000 
English.  If,  therefore,  I  were  to  run  some  risks,  they  would  be 
compensated  by  real  advantages,  and  those  advantages  would  be 
such  as  to  make  the  actual  danger  very  small.  Suppose  that 
Massena  or  Reynier  cross  with  the  9000  men,  if  they  succeed,  it 
is  well ;  if  they  do  not  succeed,  it  is  a  check  of  no  great  impor 
tance.  Supposing,  on  the  contrary,  that  you  cross  over,  it  gives 
no  additional  chance  of  success,  perhaps  indeed  less ;  and  in  case 
of  failure,  it  would  be  a  very  material  check.  I  wish  you  to 
write  to  me  a  little  more  fully  on  this  subject. 

The  young  aide-de-camp  whom  you  sent  to  me,  and  with  whom 
I  conversed  in  order  to  learn  the  opinion  of  the  army,  uttered 
many  absurdities.  The  Sicilian  expedition  is  easy,  since  there  is 
only  a  league  of  sea-passage,  but  it  requires  to  be  made  with  sys 
tem,  for  no  success  is  to  be  had  by  trusting  to  chance.  You 
began  the  campaign  so  ill,  that,  had  the  English  and  Russians 
stood  their  ground,  you  would  probably  have  been  beaten.  In 
war  nothing  is  to  be  done  but  by  calculation.  Whatever  is  not 


142  NAPLES.— GUNS  AND  AMMUNITION.  CHAP.  VL 

profoundly  considered  in  its  details  produces  no  good  result. 
Weigh  carefully  what  is  to  follow  immediately  the  disembarkation, 
so  that  no  check  may  affect  my  army  of  Naples.  I  repeat  it,  36 
hours  after  the  9000  men  are  landed  the  English  will  be  routed ; 
if  so,  they  will  re-embark,  and  as  the  court  will  follow  them,  the 
resistance  cannot  be  long. 


[  175.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  6, 1806. 

My  Brother, — You  have  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  862,000 
pounds  weight  of  powder ;  that  is  to  say,  300  at  Naples,  200  at 
Ancona,  and  more  than  300  at  Capua.  That  is  a  great. deal 
more  than  you  need  for  all  that  you  can  have  to  do.*  You  are 
not,  then,  in  want  of  powder.  Besides,  as  soon  as  your  detach 
ments  are  at  Ancona  and  Civita  Yecchia,  you  may  take  some  from 
Ancona.  You  have  68  24-pounders  of  brass,  45  16-pounuers, 
and  19  12-pounders;  that  is  to  say,  132  brass  cannon  of  large 
calibre,  and  46  mortars.  You  have  in  iron  17  36-pounders,  147 
33-pounders,  104  24-pounders,  51  18-pounders,  and  36  12-pound 
ers;  that  is  to  say,  nearly  400  pieces  of  ordnance  in  iron,  inde 
pendently  of  some  of  8  and  of  6  pounds  calibre,  and  of  all  your 
field  equipage.  You  have,  then,  a  sufficient  number  of  projectiles. 
With  a  little  activity  and  management,  therefore,  your  artillery 
will  not  be  in  a  bad  condition :  you  have  altogether  nearly  1000 
pieces  of  artillery.  France  has  not  in  all  more  than  15,000,  and 
you  know  what  a  cloud  of  fortified  places  we  have. 


[  176.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  6, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  see  entered  in  the  accounts  of  the  War 
Department  27,000  pair  of  shoes  as  having  been  sent  two  months 
ago  to  your  army  by  way  of  Genoa  and  Rome.  Let  me  know  if 
you  have  received  them,  or  write  to  B-ome  for  news  of  them. 
200,000  rations  of  biscuit'  have  been  sent  to  you  from  Leghorn, 

*  Joseph  had  complained  of  want  of  powder. — TB. 


JUNE,  1806.  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  AEMY.  J43 

400,000  from  Genoa,  and  a  great  quantity  from  Toulon.     Write 
me  word  what  you  receive  of  these  things  as  fast  as  they  arrive. 


[  177.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  7, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  cannot  send  you  any  reinforcements ;  I  cannot 
send  all  my  troops  to  fill  Naples  :  I  have  but  few  in  Italy. 
Dalmatia,  Istria,  and  Cattaro  take  a  great  many.  It  appears 
from  your  returns  that  you  have  53,000  men,  of  whom  8000  are 
in  the  hospitals ;  there  remain,  therefore,  45,000  in  health  and 
present  under  arms.  That  is  15,000  men  more  than  you  want. 
You  have  abundance  of  everything.  You  were  not  so  ill  off  for 
powder  as  you  thought ;  you  have  more  coast-guns  and  siege- 
artillery  than  you  require.  You  have  twice  as  many  generals  and 
staff-officers  as  necessary.  If  you  cannot  take  Sicily  and  Gaeta 
and  keep  Naples  with  your  present  army,  you  would  do  no  more 
with  100,000  men.  I  will  analyse  the  return  that  you  sent  to 
me  dated  the  29th  of  May.  What  do  you  want  at  Naples  with 
two  companies  of  horse-artillery,  that  is  to  say,  with  120  men  ? 
Four  regiments  of  infantry  at  Naples  are  a  great  many ;  two  are 
enough,  if  you  add,  when  requisite,  one  or  two  more  regiments 
of  cavalry.  The  police  duties  of  large  towns  are  performed  by 
cavalry,  and  also  the  observation  of  the  coast ;  your  cavalry  is 
employed  so  as  to  be  of  no  use  to  you.  You  can,  therefore,  spare 
3000  infantry  at  Naples.  A  regiment  of  infantry  of  the  line  is 
not  wanted  at  Portici,  nor  one  at  Capua.  One  cavalry  regiment 
is  enough  for  Portici ;  they  will  work  the  guns  as  well  as  infantry. 
At  Capua  one  cavalry  regiment  is  sufficient.  It  is  useless  to  keep 
a  regiment  of  horse  at  Caserta.  The  1st  regiment  of  infantry  of 
the  line  is  not  wanted  at  Chieti ;  two  cavalry  regiments  at  Gra- 
vina  and  Matera  are  too  many ;  one  is  enough.  The  2nd  regiment 
of  Italian  infantry  is  useless  at  Pescara ;  and  so  is  the  5th  at 
Molfetta.  You  keep,  in  short,  9600  men  between  Taranto  and 
Pescara!  3000  are  sufficient;  this  gives  you  6000  available  men. 
If  you  intend  to  hold  every  post  in  your  immense  kingdom  of 
Naples,  all  the  French  army  will  not  be  enough. 

I  see  by  your  returns  that  your  troops  are  not  emp^yed. 


144  DISPOSAL  OF  THE  TEOOPS.  CHAP.  TI. 

When  I  was  fighting  in  Moravia,  at  20  leagues  from  Vienna,  I 
did  not  keep  as  many  soldiers  in  that  town  as  you  do  in  Naples, 
and  what  have  you  to  fear  in  Naples,  where  you  have  fortresses  ? 
This  is  how  I  would  place  your  troops  when  you  make  your  ex 
pedition  to  Sicily: — The  22nd  light  infantry  and  52nd  of  the 
line  at  Naples,  also  the  14th,  4th,  and  25th  light  cavalry;  that 
would  be  4000  men  for  that  town,  of  whom  more  than  1200 
would  be  cavalry.  It  would  be  their  duty  also  to  keep  Portici. 
Two  regiments  of  dragoons  should  be  added  to  the  Naples 
division  to  guard  the  coast  of  Salerno ;  the  6th  of  the  line,  the 
10th,  62nd,  and  101st  of  the  line,  and  the  4th  Italian  regiment, 
with  800  horse  (which  with  the  artillery  and  sappers  would 
make  more  than  9000  men),  should  be  charged  with  the  siege  of 
Gaeta,  having  first  put  a  small  garrison  into  Capua.  The  1st, 
14th,  and  23rd  light  infantry,  the  1st,  20th,  29th,  42nd,  and 
102nd  of  the  line,  the  Poles,  Corsieans,  and  Swiss,  with  some 
regiments  of  chasseurs  and  dragoons,  should  compose  your 
Sicilian  expedition.  You  would  have  a  corps  of  18,000  men  by 
adding  to  these  the  battalions  of  grenadiers  of  the  two  regiments 
which  I  place  in  Naples,  and  those  of  the  4th  Italian  regiment. 
Four  hundred  horse,  the  2nd  Italian  regiment,  and  4  pieces  of 
artillery  would  be  enough  to  protect  the  coast  from  Pescara  to 
Manfredonia  :  they  might  be  formed  into  3  moveable  columns 
of  more  than  600  men  each,  who  might  be  sent  wherever  they 
were  wanted.  Towards  Taranto  3  regiments  of  horse,  which 
would  amount  to  1200  men,  and  2  regiments  of  Italian  infantry, 
making  in  all  nearly  4000  men,  might  be  formed  into  6  moveable 
columns  of  600  men  each,  infantry  and  cavalry,  a  force  which 
would  occupy  the  peninsula  of  0  trail  to,  and  would  extend  over 
the  whole  heel  of  Italy. 

Remember  that  you  have  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  sub 
stantially,  an  army  of  60,000  men.  I  have  not  yet  called  out  the 
conscripts,  and  it  is  not  possible  that  the  skeletons  of  the  regi 
ments  should  be  filled  up  before  the  month  of  December ;  besides 
that  I  shall  require  the  3rd  battalions  for  other  purposes.  You 
have  an  immense  army.  In  making  this  distribution,  I  act  ac 
cording  to  your  ideas :  were  I  in  your  place,  I  should  leave  not 


JTOE,  1806.  OCCUPATION  OF  CIVITA  YECCHIA.  ^45 

more  than  400  men  at  Pescara,  and  only  one  regiment  in  the 
peninsula  of  Taranto.  As  to  powder,  you  can  draw  some  from 
Ancona  and  Civita  Vecchia,  and  you  have  430,000  kilogrammes, 
that  is  to  say,  860,000  pounds  weight,*  independently  of  18,000 
cartridges.  With  that  your  supply  cannot  run  short ;  you  have 
a  sixteenth  part  of  all  that  there  is  in  France.  The  Queen  of 
Naples  has  but  a  small  force  in  Sicily,  and  the  English  have  only 
6000  men.  As  for  the  Russians,  they  have  not  more  than  3000 
men  at  Corfu,  and  they  are  not  thinking  of  you. 


[  178.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  10, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  31st  of 
May.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  General  Duhesme  has  started  to 
occupy  Civita  Vecchia.  I  send  his  instructions  through  the 
commander-in-chief  of  my  army  of  Italy;  I  wish  you  to  have 
as  little  as  possible  to  do  with  these  quarrels  with  the  Pope. 
Let  General  Duhesme  know  that  he  forms  part  of  the  Army  of 
Italy. 

[  179.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  11, 1806. 

My  Brother, — All  the  details  I  receive  of  the  affair  on  the 
15th  of  May  before  Gaeta  prove  to  me  that  there  is  no  sort  of 
regular  service  done  there,  and  that  General  Lacour  has  not  the 
faintest  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  a  siege  should  be  conducted. 
There  is  not  a  single  precedent  for  sending  Corsicans,  that  is  to 
say  inexperienced  troops,  to  the  trenches.  My  advice  is  that 
you  should  withdraw  them  from  Gaeta,  and  send  them  into 
Calabria,  where  they  will  be  in  their  proper  place.  You  could 
not  have  worse  troops  for  a  siege. 

*  This  is  the  weight  in  French  pounds. — TK. 


VOL.  I.— 7 


146  NAPLES.— AEEESTS  OEDEEED.— LOANS.  CHA*.  VJ 

[  180.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  June  13, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  4th  of 
June.  You  tell  me  that  you  have  sent  back  to  France  some 
commissariat  officers  who  have  committed  depredations  at  Co- 
senza  and  at  Civitella ;  you  ought  to  have  arrested  them.  It  is 
impossible  to  govern  with  this  weakness.  Send  me  their  names, 
that  I  may  have  them  arrested  before  they  cross  the  Alps.  Let 
me  have  the  names  of  the  Corsican  officers  who  were  in  the 
English  service.  You  say  that  they  quitted  Corsica  not  long 
ago ;  they  are  therefore  guilty  of  rebellion :  you  should  have 
had  them  arrested  and  sent  to  Fenestrelle. 

Write  to  Prince  Eugene,  to  General  Junot  at  Parma,  and  to 
General  Menou  at  Turin,  to  arrest  them  as  they  pass.  It  would 
be  strange  if  my  subjects  had  a  right  to  enter  the  service  of  my 
enemies,  and  to  escape  punishment  merely  by  quitting  it.  It  is 
not  enough  that  there  are  complaints  of  General  Lecchi.  I  must 
know  what  sort  of  complaints  they  are.  The  Queen  of  Naples 
used  to  complain  of  him,  but  without  any  reason.*  In  all  the 
measures  of  your  government  which  have  fallen  under  my  obser 
vation  I  see  too  much  softness ;  you  want  vigour.  The  proclama 
tions  of  the  English  to  the  blacks  might  have  been  expected. 
The  blacks  should  not  have  been  put  before  Gaeta.f 


[181.]  NAPOI<EON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  June  18, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  told  you  how  difficult  it  will  be  for  me 
to  procure  the  money  that  you  ask  me  for ;  but  empower  some 
one  to  raise  a  loan  for  you  either  in  Paris  or  in  Holland.  The 
Dutch  have  abundance  of  capital.  I  will  readily  guarantee  any 
sum  that  you  borrow  as  King  of  Naples.  I  have  no  doubt  that 

*  Joseph  had  sent  General  Lecchi  away  "because  he  was  complained  of.'5 
— TE. 

t  The  English  had  addressed  proclamations  to  the  blacks  in  the  French 
service,  from  St.  Domingo,  exciting  them  to  desert  — TR. 


JITNE,  1806.  TEOOPS  TO  BE  SENT  TO  FRANCE.  ^47 

by  this  means  you  will  be  able  to  obtain  as  much  money  as  you 
want.  The  Kings  of  Wurtemburg  and  of  Bavaria  have  raised 
similar  loans.  I  have  already  answered  you  on  the  subject  of 
M.  Ro3derer,  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  be  minister  at 
Naples,  and,  at  the  same  time,  remain  senator  in  France ;  but  I 
tell  you  again  that  nothing  need  prevent  your  keeping  him  as  long 
as  you  like,  without  giving  him  any  ostensible  title. 


[  182.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

8L  Cloud,  June  21, 1806. 

My  Brother, — Lord  Yarmouth  has  arrived  in  Paris  with 
powers  from  the  King  of  England  to  sign  the  peace.  We  should 
agree  pretty  well  if  it  were  not  for  Sicily.  The  English  would 
be  willing  to  acknowledge  you  King  of  Naples,  but  not  of  Sicily, 
as  it  does  not  belong  to  you.  For  my  part,  it  does  not  suit  me 
to  conclude  any  thing  till  you  are  in  possession  of  the  whole  of 
your  kingdom.  It  has  oozed  out  in  the  negotiations  that,  fore 
seeing  that  Sicily  would  be  an  obstacle,  they  allowed  six  weeks 
to  pass  without  sending  thither  reinforcements,  thinking  that  in 
the  mean  while  you  would  take  possession  of  the  island ;  but  that 
at  last  they  were  obliged  for  the  sake  of  appearances  to  send 
some  troops.* 

[183.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  21, 1806. 

My  Brother, — They  insert  in  my  returns  a  great  many  pairs 
of  shoes  as  having  reached  Naples  by  land  by  way  of  Genoa  and 
Turin ;  let  me  know  the  number  that  you  have  received.  I  see 
in  your  returns  that  the  10th  and  20th  regiments  of  the  line  have 
still  their  3rd  battalions  in  your  army;  pray  send  back  the 
cadres  of  these  battalions.  The  62nd  has  its  3rd  and  4th  bat 
talions  ;  send  back  their  cadres.  I  am  surprised  that  the  colonel 
of  the  62nd  has  not  yet  arrived  The  4th  regiment  of  chasseurs, 
and  almost  all  your  regiments  of  cavalry,  have  still  their  4th 
squadron ;  send  back  likewise  their  cadres.  This  will  much  re- 

*  This  is  improbable  in  the  highest  degree. — TR. 


148  NAPLES.— THE  SALT-TAX.  CHAP.  VI. 

lieve  your  finances,  will  not  diminish  the  strength  of  your  army, 
and  will  place  me  in  a  condition  to  form  at  Bologna  or  in  the 
Romagna  a  second  army  either  to  support  you  or  to  go  to  any 
other  place  where  it  may  be  wanted.  I  have  already  told  you  to 
send  back  any  general  officers  who  are  in  your  way.  You  may 
also  send  to  Paris  General  St.  Cyr  if  he  is  of  no  use  to  you. 
The  returns  furnished  by  your  staff  are  not  good.  I  have  ordered 
<he  Minister  of  War  to  send  to  you  printed  forms. 


[  184.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  21, 1S06. 

My  Brother, — The  affairs  of  the  Continent  appear  to  be 
settled;  my  troops  will  soon  enter  Cattaro.  Two  or  three  en 
gagements  have  taken  place  with  the  Russians,  and  they  have 
been  beaten.  The  Emperor  of  Russia  wishes  to  make  peace ;  he 
has  sent  plenipotentiaries.  If  you  had  taken  Sicily,  we  should 
have  peace  even  with  England.  The  passage  across  the  strait 
cannot  be  much  more  than  4000  yards.  You  must  have  a  great 
number  of  speronari  and  boats  of  all  kinds.  With  all  this  you 
ought  soon  to  be  master  of  the  island. 


f  185.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

8t  Cloud,  June  21, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  12th  of 
June.  I  cannot  promote  any  of  the  engineer  officers  till  Gaeta 
is  taken.  General  Campredon  ought  not  to  have  made  this 
request. 

They  insert  in  the  l  Journal  de  Paris '  a  great  many  absurd 
articles  upon  Naples.  For  instance  it  is  not  right  to  say  that 
the  salt-tax  has  been  abolished  in  Naples,  when  I  have  just  laid 
it  on  in  France.  Pray  tell  Roederer  not  to  interfere;  nothing 
can  be  more  awkward  or  worse  conceived  than  his  articles.  Of 
course  you  should  be  considerate  in  your  government  of  Naples, 
but  you  might  manage  it'  better;  do  not  make  the  French  feel 
that  the  kingdom  of  Naples  is  of  no  use  to  them.  What  business 
has  Rcederer  to  speak  of  Naples  in  the  newspapers  ?  If  you  have 


JPNE,  1806.  CONDUCT  OF  HOME.  J4Q 

abolished  the  salt-tax,  you  have  done  wrong.  If  you  are  so  in 
dulgent,  you  will  lose  your  kingdom.  You  will  take  neither 
Gaeta  nor  Sicily,  and  you  will  be  always  in  want.  If  you  ac 
custom  your  people  to  pay  no  taxes,  how  will  you  keep  up  an 
army  or  navy?  They  ought  to  pay  as  much  as  the  French. 
In  France  they  pay  the  excise  and  the  other  duties  on  salt,  the 
registry  and  the  stamp  duties,  &c.  I  can  hardly  believe  that 
you  have  had  the  folly  to  put  an  end  to  the  salt-tax ;  you  pro 
bably  have  only  made  some  modifications  in  it.*  But  what  was 
the  good  of  putting  that  into  the  '  Journal  de  Paris '  ? 


[186.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Jane  22, 1806. 

My  Brother, — The  court  of  Rome  has  gone  quite  mad. 
They  refuse  to  acknowledge  you,  and  I  know  not  what  sort  of  a 
treaty  they  wish  to  make  with  me.  They  think  that  I  cannot 
reconcile  a  great  respect  for  the  spiritual  authority  for  the  Pope 
with  the  repression  of  his  pretensions  to  temporal  dominion. 
They  forget  that  St.  Louis,  whose  piety  was  undoubted,  was 
almost  always  at  war  with  the  Pope,  and  that  Charles  V.,  who 
was  an  eminently  Christian  prince,  long  besieged  Rome,  and 
ended  by  taking  possession  both  of  the  city  and  of  the  States  of 
the  Church. 


[187.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  June  22,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  13th  of 
June.  I  am  sorry  that  you  are  deprived  of  the  talents  of 
Captain  Jacob.  You  place  confidence  in  M.  de  Lostanges,f  who 
is  not  brave,  who  will  intrigue  as  much  as  possible,  and  who  will 

*  This  was  true.  Joseph  defends  himself  by  stating  that  the  change 
which  he  had  made  was  the  requiring  every  commune  to  purchase  from  the 
government  a  quantity  fixed  hy  the  government  at  a  price  also  fixed  hy  the 
government. — TR. 

t  Joseph  had  complained  of  the  insubordination  of  Jacob,  and  had  replaced 
him  by  Lostanges. — TR. 


150  NAPLES.— AEMY  SUPPLIES.  CHAP.  VL 

serve  you  ill.  Jacob  is  brave,  and  has  shown  ability  on  the 
coast  of  the  Channel.  If  you  give  positive  orders  to  Captain 
Jacob,  he  will  do  every  thing  you  desire.  Having  said  this,  I 
leave  you  to  act  as  you  think  proper ;  but  so  long  as  you  have 
not  a  national  army  (and  you  cannot  have  one  within  ten  years), 
you  must  be  prepared  to  meet  with  some  repugnance  on  the  part 
of  the  French  in  deferring  to  Neapolitan  command.  The  French 
man  has  never  been  obedient,  and  is  still  less  so  since  the  war  and 
the  revolution  have  excited  him 


[188.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  June  24,  1806. 

My  Brother, — This  wrong-headed  E-oederer  is  at  his  tricks 
again.  Now  he  wants  to  deprive  my  ministers  of  the  clerks  in 
their  offices.  Enclosed  is  the  letter  which  he  has  written  to  the 
Superintendent  of  Military  Accounts.  This  step  does  not  sur 
prise  me  on  the  part  of  B-oederer,  who  has  neither  tact  nor  a 
sense  of  propriety,  but  it  does  surprise  me  on  the  part  of  Dumas. 
I  have  desired  the  minister  Dejean  to  reprimand  him  severely. 
Roederer  wants  also  to  carry  off  our  actors,  and  upon  which 
of  them  do  you  think  he  casts  his  eyes  ?  only  upon  Fleury  and 
Talma.  I  know  it  because  they  have  declared  that  they  could 
not  listen  to  his  applications  without  being  authorised.  M. 
Rrederer,  then,  is  not  aware  that  none  of  my  subjects  can  leave 
France  without  my  permission?  and  it  is  not  by  attempts  to 
seduce  them  that  they  will  be  obtained. 


[  189.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

«  St.  Cloud,  June  26, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  see  from  your  letter  of  the  17th  that  you 
ha.ve  received  some  biscuit,  and  that  12,000  pairs  of  shoes  have 
reached  you  from  France.  Take  care  to  inform  me  of  the  arrival 
of  each  consignment  of  biscuit  and  shoes,  that  I  may  make  sure 
of  not  being  cheated  in  niy-accounts.  Count  the  biscuits  one  by 
one ;  their  quality  should  be  good.  The  shoes  ought  to  be  made 
of  stout  leather,  not  pasteboard ;  they  cost  me  5£  francs  a  pair. 


JUNE,  1806.  ARMY  SUPPLIES.  151 

If  they  are  not  good,  let  me  know,  I  will  have  deductions  made 
for  them  in  the  general  settlement.  General  St.  Cyr  asks  for 
troops,  because  he  thinks  that  he  saw  some  Russian  frigates ;  but 
no  general  is  satisfied  unless  he  has  an  army.  Of  course  you 
have  answered  him  that  a  general  has  always  enough  troops  if  he 
knows  how  to  employ  them,  and  if,  instead  of  sleeping  in  towns, 
he  bivouacs  with  his  men.  If  an  army  were  required  at  each 
head-quarters,  all  the  troops  in  France  would  not  be  sufficient  to  , 
protect  the  coast  of  Naples.  If  whenever  there  is  the  least 
disturbance  General  St.  Cyr  will  take  the  field  with  a  few  move- 
able  columns  of  500  or  600  men  each,  including  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery,  he  will  beat  the  rebels,  take  the  banditti 
prisoners,  and  be  on  the  spot  wherever  the  enemy  may  choose  to 
land. 

I  beg  you  to  tell  me  whether  you  have  sent  back  the  cadres 
of  your  3rd  and  4th  battalions,  and  your  fourth  squadrons ;  it 
will  diminish  your  expenses  and  enable  me  to  send  a  good  reserve 
corps  to  your  depots,  to  keep  up  the  numbers  of  your  regiments. 
Do  not  delay  the  Sicilian  expedition.  Believe  me,  you  will  not 
be  in  want  of  powder.  If  it  is  at  all  economically  used  at  Gaeta, 
they  will  not  consume  more  than  between  300,000  and  400,000 
weight  in  the  siege. 

You  will  be  sorry  that  you  sent  back  the  French  naval  offi 
cers.  You  will  feel  the  want  of  them  as  soon  as  you  commence 
your  expedition  to  Sicily. 

Two  batteries  of  three  24-pounders  are  not  enough  at  Cana- 
tello  and  at  Scylla.  If,  as  your  equerry  says,  you  intend  to 
assemble  your  troops  at  Scylla,  you  will  want  more  guns  there ; 
you  ought  to  have  about  thirty  18,  24,  and  36  pounders. 


[  190.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  June  28, 1806. 

My  Brother, — It  appears,  from  a  review  of  your  depots  in  the 
kingdom  of  Italy,  which  took  place  on  the  15th  of  June,  that  the 
majors,  the  books  of  accounts,  and  the  cadres  of  the  3d  and  4th 
battalions,  and  of  the  4th  squadrons  of  several  regiments  of  your 
army,  had  not  then  arrived  at  the  depots. 


NAPLES.—  ACTORS  AND  ACTEESSES.  CHAP.  Yl 


[191.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  June  29,  1806. 

My  Brothei^  —  M.  Cellerier  is  enticing  all  the  actors  and 
actresses  in  Paris  to  Naples.  Already  one  or  two  actresses  of  the 
Opera  have  signified  to  me  their  wish  to  go  to  Naples  ;  you  must 
feel  the  absurd  effect  of  such  conduct.  If  you  want  Opera- 
dancers,  be  sure  that  I  will  send  you  as  many  as  you  like,  but  it 
is  not  right  to  endeavour  to  seduce  them.  Russia  behaved  in 
this  way,  and  I  was  so  disgusted  that  I  ordered  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  to  be  told  that  I  would  send  him,  if  he  wanted  them,  all 
the  actresses  of  the  Opera,  with  the  exception  of  Madame  Gardel. 
I  should  have  put  Cellerier  in  prison  if  he  had  not  'been  known 
to  be  your  architect. 


[  192.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  June  30, 1806. 

My  Brother, — You  will  see  by  the  accompanying  decree, 
which  will  be  sent  officially  to  your  Minister  of  War,  that  I  have 
put  the  Corsican  legion  at  your  disposal.  All  the  rolls  shall  be 
sent  to  you,  in  order  that  you  may  yourself  appoint  the  officers. 
If  it  suits  you,  you  may  recruit  the  legion  in  Corsica,  but  without 
taking  any  conscripts  for  the  purpose.  I  think  that  you  would 
do  well  to  keep  at  its  full  number  a  corps  of  Corsican  troops.  If 
you  would  like  to  have  all  the  Polish  troops,  I  will  send  them  to 
you  likewise ;  you  may  also  take  into  your  service  the  1st  Swiss 
regiment,  which  is  composed  of  four  battalions.  The  4th  bat 
talion  is  in  Corsica ;  I  will  order  it  to  join  at  Naples.  Of  all  the 
Swiss  regiments  that  you  could  have,  this  one  wil1  be  the  most 
attached  to  you,  because  it  is  composed  of  men  who  fought  by  the 
side  of  the  French  in  the  revolutionary  wars.  The  other  regi 
ments  are  differently  manned ;  you  could  not  equally  rely  upon 
them.  You  have  already  the  Corsican  legion,  consisting  of  2000 
men ;  these,  with  a  Swiss  regiment  of  3000,  and  3000  Poles,  give 
you  altogether  a  corps  of  8000  men. 


JULY,  1806.  MILITAEY  REGULATIONS.  153 

[  193.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  5,  1806. 

My  Brother, — Your  government  is  not  sufficiently  vigorous ; 
it  is  not  sufficiently  strongly  organised.  You  are  too  fearful  of 
making  enemies ;  you  are  too  kind.  You  place  too  much  confi 
dence  in  the  Neapolitans  at  this  juncture.  Be  sure  that  this  sys 
tem  of  moderation  will  not  succeed  in  the  end.  This  is  the 
opinion  of  all  the  army  at  Naples.  Be  therefore  more  energetic, 
and  take  some  means  of  obtaining  money. 

[  194.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  5, 1806. 

My  Brother, — You  have  sent  a  sufficient  number  of  convicts ; 
we  no  longer  know  what  to  do  with  them,  nor  how  to  feed  them. 
They  are  an  enormous  expense.  They  have  infected  the  hospitals 
on  their  road ;  a  great  many  have  escaped,  and  it  will  be  difficult 
to  catch  them  in  the  mountains. 

There  are  in  France  already  so  many  convicts  that  it  is  im 
possible  for  me  to  receive  any  more ;  pray  do  not  send  them  to 
me. 

[195.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  July  6, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  see  no  objection  to  General  Mathieu's  accept 
ing  one  of  the  commands  in  your  guard.  The  enemy  will  not 
make  any  serious  incursions ;  at  most  they  will  only  lay  waste  a 
few  villages.  The  English  are  not  such  fools  as  to  compromise 
their  troops.  There  is  no  harm  in  your  sending  General  St.  Cyr 
back  to  France.  Since  you  are  organising  Neapolitan  regiments, 
I  do  not  know  why  you  should  not  put  into  them  your  recruits. 
I  have  a  great  objection  to  placing  Neapolitans  in  French  cadres; 
I  always  refused  to  do  so  in  Italy.* 

You  have  the  20th  regiment  of  the  line :  complete  the  2  bat 
talions  of  that  regiment,  which  are  with  your  army,  to  2400  men, 
that  is  to  say,  to  150  for  each  company.  There  are  only  1500 

*  It  is  difficult  to  reconcile  this  passage  with  the  following  one. — TR. 
VOL.  I.— T* 


154  NAPLES.— THE  ARMY.  CHAP.  VI 

French  at  present  belonging  to  the  20th;  you  may  therefore  em 
ploy  in  this  manner  900  Neapolitans.  If  this  answers,  I  will 
send  you  the  cadres  of  the  3rd  and  4th  battalions,  which  may 
also  be  filled  up  with  Neapolitans.  In  this  way  your  object 
will  be  attained,  and  the  character  of  my  army  will  not  be 
changed. 

[  196.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  6, 1306. 

My  Brother, — I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  that  you  have  appointed 
M.  Arrighi,*  who  is  Vicar-General  of  the  island  of  Elba,  to  a 
bishopric  in  your  kingdom. 


[  197.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  8, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  done  what  you  wished  for  Major 
Thomas.  You  may  tell  him  that  he  is  an  officer  of  the  Legion 
of  Honour.  You  may  dismiss  all  the  officers  whom  you  do  not 
want.  I  have  already  told  you  that  you  may  send  back  St.  Cyr 
or  Masscna.  If  you  have  any  more  precise  complaints  to  make 

against  General  E, ,  send  them  to  the  Minister  of  War,  that 

he  may  be  punished. 

Everything  belonging  to  the  linen  and  shoes  and  stockings  of 
your  army  will  be  sent  immediately  to  Naples.  You  must  not 
be  surprised  at  the  details  into  which  I  enter.  I  must  think  of 
everything,  so  as  never  to  be  taken  unawares.  The  kingdom  of 
Naples  takes  up  14  of  my  regiments ;  8  are  employed  in  Istria 
and  Dalmatia ;  that  makes  22  regiments  out  of  my  own  disposal. 
I  must  find  substitutes  for  them,  and  I  must  keep  in  my  depots 
in  Italy  sufficient  winter  clothing  for  30,000  conscripts. 

Is  it  prudent  to  put  arms  into  the  hands  of  persons  who  be 
longed  only  yesterday  to  the  opposite  party  ?  Have  you  not  too 
much  confidence  ? 

My  negotiations  with  England  are  going  on ;  if  it  were  not 
for  Sicily  all  would  be  already  settled. 

*  Related  to  the  Duke  of  Padua. — ED. 


JULY,  1806.  THE  ARMY.  155 

I  am  sorry  to  .-see  that  your  gunboats,  which  are  your  means 
of  transport,  are  employed  before  Graeta,  where  they  are  of  no 
use,  and  are  even  in  some  danger  from  the  immense  superiority 
of  the  enemy. 

I  wish  you  to  send  me  the  exact  state  of  your  Neapolitan 
army,  in  respect  of  generals  as  well  as  soldiers.  Be  careful  in 
this  matter.  It  is  throwing  away  your  resources  to  take  into  your 
pay  troops  without  officers,  little  attached  to  you,  who  may  fail 
you  in  a  crisis.  You  should  guide  yourself  by  this  supposition  : 
If  a  new  coalition  were  formed,  and  if  a  battle  were  lost  on  the 
Adige,  what  would  be  the  conduct  of  these  fellows  ?  I  know  that 
this  will  not  take  place.  But,  after  all,  it  may  happen,  and  it  is 
in  ordinary  times  and  in  peace  that  wisdom  and  foresight  should 
be  shown. 

f  198.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  12, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  the  return  of  your  army ;  it  is 
carelessly  drawn  up.  There  are  some  inaccuracies  in  it;  the 
strength  of  your  cavalry  on  service  is  not  distinguished  from  that 
in  the  depots ;  your  minister  of  war  should  attend  to  this.  When 
you  have  taken  Graeta  I  wish  you  to  send  me  back  the  cadres  of 
your  4th  squadrons ;  send  back  also  all  your  dragoons,  as  well  as 
the  grenadiers  and  light  companies  belonging  to  your  3rd  and  4th 
battalions,  for  I  want  to  form  a  real  army  out  of  your  dep6ts,  to 
be  used  on  any  emergency. 

My  position  is  brilliant,  but  my  dominions  are  so  extensive 
that  I  must  pay  great  attention  to  keeping  my  troops  in  hand,  so 
as  to  make  them  go  as  far  as  possible.  I  am  aware  that  it  would 
be  better  to  keep  the  regiments  at  Naples  undivided,  but,  in  that 
case,  I  could  not  have  given  you,  besides  the  Poles,  Corsicans,  and 
Swiss,  14  regiments  of  infantry;  I  was  obliged  to  send  to  you 
what  was  nearest.  Within  the  next  three  months  your  3rd  and 
4th  battalions  will  afford  me  a  corps  of  20,000  well-trained  men  • 
if  you  then  continue  to  want  a  great  many  troops,  it  will  be  easy 
for  me  to  withdraw  5  regiments,  or  10  battalions,  from  your  army, 
and  to  send  you  10  complete  3rd  battalions,  which  would  make 
9  regiments  of  3000  or  3500  men  each.  This  is  what  I  aim  at ; 


156  NAPLES.— SIEGE  OF  GAETA.  CHAP.  Yl 

it  would  produce  simplicity  and  economy,  but  in  the  mean  time  I 
am  carried  away  by  circumstances,  and  I  must  have  in  hand  a 
force  to  defend  the  Isonzo  at  a  moment's  notice.  You  are  so  far 
off,  and  events  succeed  each  other  so  rapidly,  that  all  would  be 
decided  before  you  and  your  army  had  time  to  arrive.  Endeavour 
therefore  to  send  back  all  the  majors,  the  3rd  battalions,  both  of 
ficers  and  soldiers,  the  grenadiers,  and  the  light  companies.  I 
have  authorised  you  to  fill  up  the  20th  with  Neapolitans.  If  you 
think  that  this  combination  will  succeed,  keep  the  cadre  of  the 
3rd  battalion  ;  it  seems  that  you  have  sent  back  the  cadre  of  the 
2nd  battalion  of  the  62nd.  Recruit  your  Corsican  legion  in 
Corsica ;  admit  into  it  no  Neapolitans ;  it  should  be  composed  en 
tirely  of  Corsicans. 

When  Gaeta  is  taken,  I  wish  you  to  send  back  the  3rd  batta 
lion  of  the  32nd ;  that  corps  is  in  training,  and  it  ought  to  be 
kept  together.  The  Poles  are  to  remain  in  your  kingdom ;  they 
may  even  enter  your  service  if  you  please,  but,  in  any  case,  as  long 
as  they  form  part  of  your  army,  they  should  be  kept  up  and  paid 
out  of  your  treasury.  When  you  are  master  of  Gaeta,  send  back 
all  your  Italian  troops,  both  infantry,  cavalry,  and  sappers  and 
miners ;  I  want  them  for  Dalmatia,  where  I  keep  up  a  fierce  war 
with  the  Russians  and  the  people  of  Montenegro,  and  I  wish  the 
two  nations  to  share  the  danger. 


[  199.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  July  15, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  ordered  all  the  clothing  and  shoes 
which  belong  to  your  battalions  in  the  field  to  be  sent  to  them 
from  the  battalions  in  the  depots. 

I  do  not  think  that  the  negotiations  with  England  will  come 
to  any  good ;  they  have  taken  into  their  heads  to  keep  Sicily  for 
the  late  King  of  Naples ;  I  cannot  agree  to  this  article.  As  soon 
as  the  fire  is  opened  on  Gaeta,  assemble  as  many  fresh  troops  as 
you  can.  Take  care  to  keep  a  column  of  4000  or  5000  men  in 
reserve,  not  to  be  under  fire  before  the  fourth  or  fifth  day,  to  be 
employed  only  on  some  important  occasion,  or  to  hold  some  im- 


JIT-IT,  1806.  THE  EX-QUEEN.  ^57 

portant  work.  I  cannot  understand  of  what  use  your  gunboats 
will  be ;  they  would  do  better  on  the  coast  of  Sicily.  The  enemy 
will  be  too  strong  for  them  to  come  out,  or  you  will  lose  a  good 
many.  *- 

Your  first  object  should  be  to  take  Sicily.  With  regard  to 
Gaeta,  it  seems  to  me  that  your  equipment  for  the  siege  is  very 
good,  and  that  you  have  sufficient  ammunition.  Desire  the  artil 
lery  not  to  fire  with  whole  charges  when  half  charges  are  enough. 

I  am  sorry  that  you  have  no  small  mortars ;  8-inch  mortars, 
at  a  distance  of  200  or  300  yards,  do  great  execution.  The  ob 
ject  is  not  to  fire  a  great  deal,  but  to  fire  well.  Why  is  not  the 
engineer  officer  Chambarlhac  at  the  siege  ?  He  is  a  good  soldier. 
It  is  impossible  to  have  too  many  artillery  and  engineer  officers 
there. 

[  200.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  16,  1806. 

My  Brother, — The  6th  battalion  (bis)  of  the  train  ought  to 
have  reached  Naples;  your  minister  has  by  this  time  received 
orders  to  send  back  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy  the  detachments  of 
the  7th  and  4th  battalions  (bis).  Directly  after  the  capture  of 
Gaeta  send  back  the  detachments  of  these  battalions ;  the  object 
is  to  keep  the  regiments  in  a  good  state.  Let  those  who  assassi 
nated  the  blind  soldiers  from  Egypt  be  tried  and  punished  as  they 
deserve.  Make  the  trial  striking :  I  will  let  it  be  as  well  known 
as  possible  here.*  The  atrocious  cruelty  of  the  Queen  is,  however, 
known  to  the  whole  world,  including  Russians,  Austrians,  and 
English.  They  are  well  aware  that  she  could  not  return  to 
Naples,  as  she  would  have  to  wade  through  a  sea  of  blood.  The 
contempt  which  she  inspires  is  universal,  and  considerably  dimin 
ishes  the  sympathy  felt  for  her  by  those  who  have  ruined  her. 

F  201.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  19, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter. f  Nothing  could 
be  more  fortunate  than  the  landing  of  the  English.  General 

*  Some  blind  French  invalids,  returning  from  Egypt,  had  been  shipwrecked 
on  the  Neapolitan  coast,  and  murdered  by  the  peasants. — ED. 

t  Announcing  the  landing  of  General  Stuart  in  Calabria. — TK. 


358  PEACE  WITH  ETJSSIA.  CHAP.  VI. 

Reynier  will  be  joined  by  the  brigades,  which  are  posted  en 
echelons  along  the  coast,  and  will  beat  the  English.  Without 
cavalry  they  cannot  attempt  to  remain  an  the  country ;  it  is  prob- 
ufele  that  they  will  feel  the  effects  of  this  Invasion.  You  have  a 
great  many  horse  and  they  have  none.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive 
the  fatality  that  has  urged  them  on.  Do  not  be  surprised  at  the 
little  mischief  which  your  cannonade  will  do  at  first  to  Gaeta ;  if 
your  fire  is,  as  I  suppose,  well  directed,  whole  pieces  of  the  wall 
will  fall  all  at  once  on  the  sixth  or  seventh  day  of  the  cannonade, 
and  then  is  the  time  that  you  must  not  lose  a  moment  in  assault 
ing  the  works.  I  have  ordered  not  only  linen  and  shoes,  but 
everything  that  they  can  spare  you,  to  be  sent  to  you  from  the 
depots.  Be  vigorous. 


[  202.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  July  21, 1S06. 

My  Brother,— I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  12th  of 
July.  You  have  as  yet  no  tidings  of  General  Reynier,  and  you 
have  made  no  expedition  from  Naples.  The  art  of  war,  which 
everybody  talks  about,  is  difficult.  In  all  your  council  you  have 
not  one  man  who  has  the  first  rudiments  of  it. 

I  have  concluded  my  peace  with  Russia;  the  treaty  was 
signed  yesterday  the  20th  of  July.*  Russia  does  not  interfere 
in  the  affairs  of  the  late  King  of  Naples.  It  has  been  settled 
that  she  will  acknowledge  you  when  the  war  is  over,  and  that  in 
the  mean  time  you  will  receive  and  protect  her  merchandise  in 
the  ports  of  Naples,  as  she  will  protect  yours  in  the  ports  of 
Russia;  that  the  Russians  are  to  remain  in  Corfu,  and  that  inter 
course  is  to  be  free  on  both  sides. 

We  are  still  negotiating  with  England  :  Sicily  continues  to  be 
the  stumbling-block;  they  appear,  however,  inclined  to  yield  a 
little,  but,  for  God's  sake !  with  36,000  men,  do  not  let  one  of 
your  divisions  be  destroyed.  The  reason  why  you  have  no  news 
of  Reynier  must  be  that  the  communications  are  cut  off  and  the 
country  is  in  insurrection.  'I  am  very  sorry  that  business  keeps 

*  The  Treaty  of  Oubril,  which  Alexander  refused  to  ratify. — ED. 


JULY,  1806.  PEACE  WITH  EUSSIA.  159 

me  in  Paris ;  if  I  had  been  in  Naples,  not  an  Englishman  would 
have  landed,  or,  if  they  had,  they  would  have  been  surrounded, 
within  four  days,  by  double  their  force,  and  pursued  by  columns 
of  cavalry ;  not  one  would  have  escaped.  But  how  can  it  be 
helped  ?  This  result  would  have  been  obtained  by  movements 
of  brigades  in  echelon. 

I  have  desired  500,000  fr.  and  30,000  pounds  weight  of 
powder  to  be  sent  to  you,  but  recollect  that  it  is  very  difficult  to 
send  you  5  or  6  millions  in  specie.  Naples  is  full  of  resources, 
but  a  firm  and  vigorous  administration  is  necessary  to  make  use 
of  them. 

[203.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  July  21, 1806, 10  o'clock  P.M. 

My  Brother, — You  may  announce  the  peace  with  Russia ;  do 
not,  however,  appear  to  be  too  glad,  as  that  would  injure  our  rep 
utation  for  power.  A  courier  who  has  just  arrived  from  London 
makes  me  think  that  the  English  are  astonished  by  this  decision 
of  Russia,  and  that  they  are  somewhat  inclined  to  give  up  Sicily, 
which  till  now  has  been  the  stumbling-block.  If  these  supposi 
tions  are  confirmed  you  will  have  the  finest  kingdom  in  the  world, 
and  I  hope  that,  by  setting  to  work  earnestly  to  form  a  good  army 
and  fleet,  you  will  assist  me  to  become  master  of  the  Mediter 
ranean,  ivhich  is  the  chief  and  perpetual  aim  of  my  policy. 
For  that,  it  is  requisite  to  obtain  large  sums  from  the  people. 
Naples  and  Sicily  ought  to  yield  you  100  millions ;  Italy  and 
France  pay  me  more  in  proportion.  You  should  have  6  vessels 
of  the  line,  9  frigates,  and  10  brigs,  and  you  ought  to  keep  up  an 
army  of  40,000  men,  French  and  Neapolitan.  Keep,  however, 
these  hints  to  yourself  just  now,  for  it  is  possible  that  the  project 
may  fail,  and  I  would  rather  have  ten  years  of  war  than  allow 
your  kingdom  to  remain  incomplete  and  Sicily  in  dispute. 

[204.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  24, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  received  your  letter  of  the  14th  at  1 1  o'clock 
at  night.  You  may  employ  or  send  home  General  St.  Cyr,  as 
you  think  best.  The  enemy  must  have  been  very  strong  to  at- 


1(50  FEAR  FOE  NAPLES.  CHA.P.  VL 

tempt  Naples.*  Is  it  possible  that  with  36,000  men  you  are  re 
duced  to  be  on  the  defensive  against  8000  English,  and  that  you 
abandon  the  third  part  of  your  kingdom  to  them  ?  Your  coun 
cil  have  not  two  ideas  on  the  subject  of  war.  I  hope  that  by  this 
time  you  have  taken  Gaeta. 

You  do  not  tell  me  that  you  have  made  any  expeditions  into 
Calabria  to  disengage  Generals  Yerdier  aud  Reynier,  but  I  trust 
their  safety  to  the  slow  and  unskilful  movements  of  the  English 
ashore. 

*  Joseph  had  expressed  a  fear  that  the  English  fleet  might  attack 
Naples.— TK. 


JULY,  1806.  BATTLE  OF  MAID  A. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  5th  of 
July  to  the  2nd  of  September,  1806.  During  this  period  Na 
poleon  was  negotiating  with  England,  and  believed  himself  to  be 
at  peace  with  Russia.  He  appears  to  have  been  rather  less  than 
was  commonly  the  case  oppressed  by  business.  His  letters  to 
Joseph  are  many  and  long,  and  abound,  even  more  than  his  earlier 
ones,  in  military  and  political  theory. 

The  first  letter  in  the  chapter  is  General  Reynier's  narrative 
of  the  battle  of  Maida.  Its  peculiar  interest  appeared  to  me  to 
justify  its  insertion. 


[205.]  GENERAL  REYNIER  TO  JOSEPH. 

Catanzaro,  July  5, 1806.' 

Sire, — The  interruption  of  my  communications  has  prevented 
my  writing  to  your  Majesty  since  my  letter  of  the  29th,  in  which 
I  mentioned  the  sailing  of  the  English  expedition  and  of  the 
flotilla  from  Messina. 

Seeing  that  the  expedition  steered  towards  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Euphemia,  and  that  the  flotilla,  which  was  between  the  point  of 
Pezzo  and  Cape  Spartimento,  intended  at  that  time  only  to  divert 
my  attention  by  a  false  attack,  I  determined  to  leave  at  Scylla 
and  Reggio  detachments  to  guard  the  castle  and  the  hospital, 
and  a  small  detachment  at  Tropea,  and  to  direct  all  the  troops 


IQ2  BATTLE  OF  MAIDA.  CHAP.  VIL 

whom  I  could  collect  towards  the  point  of  disembarkation.  I 
wished  to  march  immediately  on  the  English,  to  throw  them  into 
the  sea,  and  to  return  quickly  to  succour  Scylla  and  Reggio. 

This  appeared  to  me  the  most  soldierlike  and  the  wisest  plan, 
as,  the  English  being  driven  away,  the  whole  invasion  was  at  an 
end.  Your  Majesty  knows  that  my  troops  were  much  dispersed, 
to  guard  the  batteries  and  magazines,  and  to  keep  quiet  the  two 
Calabrias.  Your  Majesty  knows  also  that  the  departure  of  the 
troops  called  away  to  Gaeta  and  Puglia  had  reduced  roy  main 
body  to  1000  men,  of  whom  800  were  in  the  province  of  Cosenza 
and  200  garrisoned  Cotrona. 

I  had  informed  your  Majesty  of  the  presence  in  Calabria  of 
many  agents  sent  by  England  and  by  the  Sicilian  Court,  who 
employed  all  means  to  excite  insurrections.  I  had  several  move- 
able  columns  pursuing  them. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  in  order  to  follow  the  movements  of  the 
enemy's  fleet,  I  put  in  march  the  23rd  light  infantry  and  a  part 
of  the  42nd,  and  directed  all  the  detachments  to  unite  at  the  river 
Angitola.  On  the  evening  of  that  day,  seeing  that  the  English 
fleet  was  steering  towards  the  Gulf  of  St.  Euphemia,  I  ordered 
General  Compere,  whom  I  had  left  with  two  battalions  between 
Scylla  and  Reggio,  to  leave  in  those  places  only  enough  men  to 
guard  the  forts  and  the  hospital,  and  to  join  me  immediately, 
without  troubling  himself  about  the  Messina  flotilla,  which  still 
kept  threatening  to  disembark  on  the  coast.  I  ordered  the  com 
manders  of  those  forts  to  defend  themselves  until  my  return  as 
soon  as  I  had  beaten  the  English  army. 

On  the  1st  of  July  I  reached  Monteleone.  The  English  had 
disembarked  in  the  night  at  St.  Euphemia.  Three  Polish  com 
panies  advanced  on  them,  were  repulsed  with  loss,  and  retired 
behind  the  Angitola.  General  Digonnet.  with  a  company  of 
Polish  grenadiers  and  the  9th  chasseurs,  arrived  during  the  night 
at  the  river  Lamato  from  Catanzaro. 

On  the  2nd  I  encamped  on  the  heights  of  the  Angitola.  The 
enemy  remained  in  the  same  position,  his  right  on  the  bastion  of 
Malta,  where  he  established  himself  with  a  strong  battery,  and  his 
left  on  the  village  of  St.  Euphemia.  He  sent  patrols  to  San 


JULY,  1806.  BATTLE  OF  MAIDA.  Jgg 

Biaggio  and  Nicastro,  which  revolted  immediately,  and  hoisted 
the  red  cockade.  Many  armed  banditti  descended  the  mountains 
to  join  them.  We  learned  that  in  almost  all  the  villages  the  ban 
ditti  and  the  lower  classes,  excited  by  the  priests  and  the  agents 
of  the  Sicilian  Court,  were  ready  to  hoist  the  standard  of  revolt. 
While  I  delayed  forcing  the  English  to  embark,  every  day  in 
creased  this  ferment,  and  threatened  my  communications. 

On  the  3rd  I  took  a  position  on  the  Lamato,  near  Maida,  in 
order  to  have  only  three  hours'  march  to  reach  the  position  of  the 
enemy,  to  attack  his  centre  between  the  sea  and  the  mountains, 
to  be  less  harassed  by  the  fire  of  the  ships,  and  to  remove  my 
right  from  the  banditti  who  were  collected  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains. 

I  hoped  to  be  joined  during  the  evening  and  the  night  by  the 
troops  which  General  Compere  was  bringing  from  Reggio,  and 
thus  to  be  able  the  next  morning  to  attack  with  all  my  forces. 
We  had  estimated  the  enemy  at  6000  men,  but  the  reports  of 
deserters  and  spies  informed  us  that  he  was  stronger,  and  had 
been  joined  by  about  2000  armed  banditti.  Some  persons,  espe 
cially  M.  Lebrun,  your  Majesty's  aide-de-camp,  proposed  to  me 
to  remain  observing  the  enemy  without  attacking  him,  and  thus 
to  wait  for  reinforcements.  But  I  answered  that  I  could  not  re 
ceive  reinforcements  in  less  than  twelve  or  fifteen  days  ;  that  my 
position  on  the  Lamato  was  not  tenable,  being  surrounded  by 
woods  through  which  banditti  from  the  revolted  villages  could  at 
tack  my  rear ; '  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  take  a  position  either 
at  Catrona  or  between  the  Angitola  and  Monteleone,  positions 
having  each  their  inconveniences,  and  in  which  I  should  have  been 
as  much  surrounded  by  insurgents  after  my  voluntary  retreat  as 
if  I  had  been  beaten  j  that  I  could  not  march  against  the  troops 
commanded  by  the  hereditary  Prince  of  Sicily,  which  were  report 
ed  to  have  landed  between  Reggio  and  Scylla,  without  having  on 
my  back  the  English  army  in  an  extremity  of  the  peninsula  still 
farther  than  I  was  from  assistance ;  that,  having  collected  5150 
French  troops  who  had  often  distinguished  themselves,  I  might 
well  expect,  by  a  vigorous  attack,  to  beat  an  English  army  of 
from  6000  to  7000  men,  drive  it  into  the  sea,  restore  instantly 


164  BATTLE  OF  MAIDA.  CHAP.  VIL 

the  tranquillity  of  the  country,  and  return  quickly  to  beat  the 
Neapolitans  disembarked  between  Scylla  and  Reggio. 

However,  as  my  troops  from  Reggio  did  not  arrive  in  time,  I 
delayed  the  attack.  Three  of  the  enemy's  transports  sailed  for 
Sicily,  and  during  the  night  four  arrived  and  disembarked  rein 
forcements. 

The  4th  of  July,  at  sunrise,  I  perceived  a  movement  in  the 
enemy's  camp,  and  that  their  troops  approached^ the  sea.  Many 
thought  that  they  were  going  to  re-embark.  They  marched  along 
the  coast  in  two  columns  towards  the  mouth  of  the  Lamato  ;  they 
then  retired  a  little  from  the  sea,  and  the  head  of  a  column  ap 
peared  at  one  time  to  be  directed  towards  my  camp.  They  made 
several  marches  and  countermarches,  having  always  on  their  flank 
a  ship  of  the  line,  a  frigate,  and  several  gunboats.  They  extend 
ed  their  right  towards  the  Lamato,  and  seemed  to  prepare  to  pass 
it,  so  as  to  intercept  my  road  to  Monteleone.  They  formed  in 
two  lines,  and  advanced  the  first,  quitting  thus  the  protection  of 
their  ships  and  gunboats.  I  thought  that  the  moment  was  favor 
able  to  an  attack ;  that,  as  they  were  somewhat  divided  by  the 
Lamato,  I  could  crush,  by  a  vigorous  charge,  a  part  of  their  army ; 
that  the  rest,  particularly  those  who  had  turned  my  right  by  ad 
vancing  towards  the  Monteleone  road,  would  be  unable  to  re-em 
bark,  and  must  surrender,  and  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost  in 
seizing  this  opportunity.  By  passing  the  Lamato  I  could,  with 
out  losing  time  or  encountering  any  obstacle,  attack  them  with 
my  infantry,  my  light  artillery,  and  my  cavalry,  which,  unhappily, 
consisted  of  only  150  men  of  the  9th  chasseurs.  I  should  have 
lost  these  advantages  if  I  had  allowed  them  to  pass  the  Lamato, 
because  the  ground  on  the  other  side  is  uneven,  and  full  of  marshes 
and  thickets,  which  would  have  prevented  my  making  the  attack 
with  the  vigour  and  quickness  which  were  requisite  to  render  its 
success  complete.  It  was  necessary  to  beat  them  before  the 
crowd  of  banditti  which  hovered  about  my  rear  was  sufficiently 
organized  to  attack  me  from  behind  through  the  wood  while  I 
was  empl  >yed  in  fighting  the  English  towards  the  sea. 

At  9  in  the  morning  I  put  my  troops  in  motion ;  two  light 
companies  were  ordered  to  thread  the  thickets  which  line  the  bed 


JULY,  1806.  BATTLE  OF  MAIDA.  1(J5 

of  the  Lamato.  The  1st  and  42nd  regiments,  2400  strong,  under 
the  orders  of  General  Compere,  passed  the  Lamato,  and  formed 
into  line,  having  their  left  on  the  Lamato.  The  4th  Swiss  battal 
ion  and  twelve  companies  of  the  Polish  regiment,  1500  strong, 
under  the  orders  of  Brigadier-General  Peyri,  passed  the  Lamato, 
and  formed  in  a  second  line  in  echelon  behind  the  right  of  the 
42nd,  making  my  centre.  The  23rd  light  infantry,  1250  men 
strong,  under  the  orders  of  General  Digonnet,  crossed  and  formed 
on  my  right.  Four  pieces  of  light  artillery  and  the  9th  chasseurs, 
under  the  orders  of  General  Franceschi,  were  also  part  of  my 
centre. 

The  English  had  eight  field-pieces ;  their  flanks  were  protect 
ed  by  a  ship  of  the  line,  a  frigate,  and  some  gunboats. 

The  light  troops,  detached  along  the  Lamato,  were  pressed  by 
the  English,  who  were  crossing  the  river.  The  first  line  of  the 
enemy  advanced  a  little,  following  the  skirmishers,  whom  I  made 
retreat,  in  order  to  draw  them  on.  I  ordered  the  1st  regiment 
of  light  infantry  to  advance  its  left  in  order  to  support  the  skir 
mishers,  and  the  rest  of  the  brigade  of  General  Compere  to  move 
by  echelons,  the  Swiss  and  the  Poles  to  follow  this  advance  in  a 
second  line,  and  the  23rd  infantry,  which  had  wandered  a  little 
towards  its  right,  to  re-approach  the  Swiss,  as  I  wished  to  direct 
all  my  efforts  on  the  centre  of  the  enemy. 

As  soon  as  the  1st  light  infantry  was  within  half  gun-shot  of 
the  English  regiments,  which  remained  carrying  arms,  its  drums 
beat  the  charge,  and  the  42nd  regiment  charged  the  instant  after 
at  the  same  distance.  The  English  battalions  then  opened  a  fire, 
exceedingly  well  kept  up,  which  at  first  did  not  stop  the  charge 
of  the  French  regiments ;  but  when  they  had  only  fifteen  steps 
to  make  in  order  to  reach  the  enemy's  line  with  the  bayonet,  and 
destroy  it,  the  soldiers  of  the  1st  regiment  turned  their  backs  and 
fled.  Those  of  the  42nd  perceived  this  movement,  and,  though 
they  had  only  a  few  more  steps  to  take,  began  to  hesitate,  and 
followed  the  example  of  the  1st.  As  soon  as  I  perceived  the 
flight  of  the  1st  regiment,  I  turned  towards  the  second  line,  to 
charge  with  that,  but  the  Poles  were  already  in  flight.  The 
Swiss  battalion,  carried  away  a  little  by  the  example  of  the  other 


1(36  BATTLE  OF  MAID  A.  CHAP.  VII. 

troops,  hesitated;  however,  I  made  several  of  its  companies  ad 
vance,  which  checked  a  little  the  enemy's  pursuit  of  the  1st  and 
the  42nd.  I  went  instantly  to  the  23rd  regiment,  to  see  if  it  was 
possible  to  make,  with  this  regiment  and  the  chasseurs,  a  new  at 
tack  on  the  enemy's  centre ;  for  his  advance  exposed  his  left 
flank,  and  left  a  great  interval,  through  which  he  could  have  been 
taken  in  flank ;  but  this  regiment  was  a  little  too  far  to  the  right, 
and  was  already  engaged  in  checking  the  left  of  the  enemy,  and 
would  have  been  destroyed  if  it  had  moved  to  join  in  my  intended 
attack. 

The  troops  which  had  disbanded  having  fled  to  a  great  distance 
from  the  field  of  battle,  I  had  no  more  at  hand.  All  that  I  could 
do  was  to  try  to  preserve  the  remainder  of  my  force,  to  take  the 
road  to  Catanzaro  and  Cotrona  in  order  to  rally  them,  to  send  my 
wounded  to  Cotrona,  the  place  to  which  I  had  already  been  ad 
vised  to  retire,  and  wait  there  for  the  reinforcements  which  your 
Majesty  will  send,  in  order  to  drive  quickly  the  English  from  the 
continent,  to  avenge  our  defeat,  and  succour  the  garrisons  of  Scylla 
and  Reggio. 

A  body  of  the  enemy  advanced  from  the  Lamato  towards 
Monteleone,  and  reached  the  camp  which  we  were  occupying  an 
hour  before.  Our  communication  with  Monteleone  being  thus 
cut  off,  we  could  not  recover  our  baggage,  which  had  been  left 
there  to  avoid  its  encumbering  us  in  our  attack.  It  by  no  means 
suited  me  to  march  towards  Monteleone,  where  no  reinforcements 
from  your  Majesty  coilld  have  joined  me,  and  where  I  should 
have  been  squeezed  between  the  English  and  the  enemy's  troops, 
which  must  have  landed  between  Scylla  and  Reggio,  seeing  that  I 
was  not  strong  enough  to  hope  to  beat  them  both  consecutively. 
I  hope  that  the  paymaster  and  those  who  kept  guard  over  our 
baggage  retired  by  the  mountain-roads  to  Catanzaro. 

The  enemy  appeared  to  us  to  be  more  numerous  than  ourselves 
by  one-third ;  he  extended  much  beyond  our  wings,  although  he 
was  drawn  up  in  two  lines,  and  had  a  detached  corps  beyond 
Lamato.  He  may  have  had  8000  infantry  and  2000  armed 
peasants. 

Even  before  the  battle  the  country  had  begun  to  rise ;  almost 


JULY,  1806.  BATTLE  OP  MAIDA.  167 

all  the  inhabitants  assumed  the  white  flag  and  the  red  cockade. 
Even  Catanzaro  rang  the  tocsin  and  displayed  the  white  flag. 
As  the  troops  were  encamped  beneath  its  walls,  I  thought  it  ne 
cessary  to  occupy  it,  in  order  to  force  it  back  into  obedience,  and 
to  get  the  provisions  of  which  we  were  in  want. 

If  many  of  the  soldiers  wanted  the  vigor  for  which  I  hoped 
from  soldiers  of  such  established  reputation,  I  am  satisfied  with 
the  officers ;  they  did  their  duty  well.  General  Compere  was 
wounded  in  the  arm  at  the  head  of  the  1st  regiment ;  he  was 
thrown  from  his  horse  and  taken  prisoner. 

Major  Gastelouis  of  the  1st  regiment  was  killed.  Major 
Clavel  of  the  Swiss  regiment  was  dangerously  wounded.  Major 
Rey  of  the  23rd  regiment  was  wounded,  as  well  as  Marchand, 
Duchaume,  and  many  brave  men.  I  do  not  know  my  loss  exactly 
as  yet,  but  I  have  with  me  about  4000  men,  of  whom  300  are 
wounded. 

The  enemy  pursued  us  as  far  as  the  entry  of  the  valley  of 
Lamato,  but  captured  only  the  wounded  who  were  left  on  the 
field  after  the  charge.  I  am  exceedingly  grieved  by  these  events. 
I  did  what  I  thought  best  under  difficult  circumstances,  and  I 
thought  that  I  could  not  hesitate  between  the  advantages  of  ob 
taining  a  quick  decision  by  an  immediate  action,  and  the  danger 
to  which  we  should  have  been  exposed  by  delay ;  but  I  was 
supported  neither  by  the  number  nor  by  the  courage  of  my 
troops. 

A  portion  of  the  army  is  so  much  affected,  that,  not  relying  on 
its  standing  before  the  enemy,  I  have  been  forced  to  retire  to  this 
spot,  and  I  may  retreat  as  far  as  Cotrona,  which  is  my  sole  sup 
port  in  this  country,  and  is  the  only  place  where  I  can  find  sup 
plies  and  prepare  the  troops  for  action.  Catanzaro  being  the 
capital  of  the  province,  I  shall  try  to  remain  near  it,  in  order  to 
revive  the  spirit  of  the  inhabitants,  and  to  protect  our  friends 
from  the  brigands. 

I  have  with  me  about  4300  men.  I  shall  carefully  keep  them 
together,  and  try  to  restore  their  courage,  and  to  employ  them  as 
soon  as  I  have  been  reinforced.  General  Yerdier  is  at  Cosenza 
with  800  men.  I  have  not  received  news  from  him ;  but  as  his 


NAPLES.— JOSEPH'S  GOVEENMENT.  CHAP.  YIL 

whole  force  consists  of  a  Polish  battalion,  he  cannot  have  done 
more  than  hold  out  against  the  insurgents. 

I  have  no  news  from  the  little  garrisons  which  I  left  in  the 
forts  of  Seylla  and  Reggio.  It  is  important  that  troops  should 
be  sent  immediately  to  drive  the  enemy  from  their  posts,  and  to 
reconquer  the  country.  We  are  burning  with  desire  to  take  a 
brilliant  revenge  for  our  defeat. 

[206.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  26, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  17th.  I  see 
that  all  your  military  operations  are  wrong.  I  cannot  understand 
how,  surrounded  as  you  are  by  men  of  military  experience,  there 
are  so  few  who  can  give  you  good  advice.  Your  army  is  large 
enough  not  only  to  besiege  Gaeta  and  keep  Naples,  but  to  oppose 
all  landing  of  the  enemy  and  regain  Calabria;  but  your  measures 
have  no  life  or  movement,  no  organisation  or  method.  Till  now 
you  have  made  nothing  but  mistakes  :  but  I  ought  not  to  distress 
you.  I  warned  you  not  to  listen  to  General  Dumas,  who  has  had 
no  practice  in  war.  It  seems  that  no  one  knows  where  your 
troops  are ;  they  are  scattered  everywhere,  and  assembled  no 
where.  General  Reynier  made  ill  his  dispositions  for  battle,  and 
did  not  know  how  to  direct  6000  men  against  the  enemy.  But 
since  then  he  has  been  shamefully  neglected.  What  will 
become  of  him,  as  even  the  head-quarters  of  the  province  are  not 
held  by  you  ?  For  my  part,  I  am  not  surprised  at  what  happens 
in  Calabria ;  I  have  long  been  acquainted  with  the  sort  of  disposi 
tion  which  prevails  there.  Your  policy  with  regard  to  Naples  is 
just  the  reverse  of  what  ought  to  be  pursued  towards  a  conquer 
ed  nation.  Let  your  troops  march  together,  do  not  scatter  them. 
I  suppose  that  you  have  armed  all  the  castles  in  Naples.  What 
is  the  meaning  of  this  Neapolitan  National  Guard  ?  It  is  leaning 
on  a  reed,  perhaps  putting  arms  into  the  hands  of  your  enemies. 
How  little  you  know  of  men !  Act  at  least  with  vigor.  Keep 
your  troops  in  hand,  disposed  in  echelons,  so  that  you  may  assem 
ble  18,000  men  on  one  point  and  crush  the  enemy.  I  do  not  see 
in  your  letter  that  you  are  uniting  your  forces ;  all  is  unintelligi- 


JTJLT,  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  Jgg 

ble.  The  negotiations  advance.  It  seems  that  Sicily  is  yielded, 
so  that  that  obstacle  is  gone ;  perhaps,  before  10  days  are  over,  it 
may  all  belong  to  you. 


£207.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

July  28, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  am  sure  that  you  will  soon  have  Gaeta. 
That  place  is  becoming  of  great  importance  to  you.  General 
Reynier  had  a  right  to  expect  assistance ;  he  may  have  acted  on 
this  supposition,  and  may  find  himself  much  exposed.  A  force 
of  10,000  men,  including  infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery,  must 
immediately  be  sent  to  Cassano  to  extricate  and  reinforce  him ; 
for  one  cannot  tell  what  misfortunes  may  have  happened  to  him. 
The  first  cause  of  all  this  is  your  keeping  so  many  troops  in  Naples. 
I  had  warned  you  of  what  would  follow.  All  that  you  want  in 
Naples  are  commandants  in  the  forts,  provisions,  ammunition,  and 
depots,  with  one  or  two  regiments  of  horse  and  one  of  foot.  You 
have  established  yourself  as  in  time  of  peace ;  you  have  placed 
too  much  confidence  in  the  Neapolitans.  It  is  an  error  which 
has  many  consequences ;  you  must  remedy  it :  enter  Calabria, 
disarm  the  rebels,  and  make  examples  that  will  not  be  forgotten. 
The  ex-Queen  in  what  she  does  acts  the  part  of  a  sovereign. 
To  preserve  one's  army,  gain  its  esteem,  and  be  feared  by  the 
enemy,  it  is  necessary  to  act  with  severity  and  energy.  As  soon 
as  General  Reynier  is  extricated  and  joined  by  your  reinforce 
ments,  you  must  place  brigades  of  your  troops  in  Echelon,  at 
distances  of  a  day's  march,  between  Naples  and  Cassano  ;  so  that 
in  three  days  four  brigades,  making  from  10,000  to  12,000  men, 
may  be  able  to  assemble.  You  have  three  French  regiment? 
who  fought  under  Reynier;  there  remain  11  who  have  done 
nothing ;  by  adding  to  them  two  regiments  of  infantry  and  one 
of  cavalry,  with  the  Italians,  Corsicans,  and  Neapolitans,  you  can 
very  well  have  eight  brigades  of  more  than  3000  men  each,  under 
the  command  of  two  lieut.-generals  and  four  brigadiers,  which 
may  communicate  and  assemble  in  a  short  time.  It  is  by  placing 
your  troops  in  echelon  that  you  may  be  on  the  defensive  and 
prepared  for  any  event,  for,  if  you  afterwards  see  something  to  be 

VOL.  I.— 


170  NAPLES.— DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  CHAP.  V1L 

gained  by  taking  the  aggressive,  the  enemy,  having  seen  that 
you  were  on  the  defensive,  will  not  find  you  out,  and  before  he 
can  change  his  attitude,  the  ten  or  twelve  days  that  you  want  for 
your  operations  will  have  passed.  I  am  not  sure  whether  what  I 
have  been  saying  is  very  intelligible.*  Great  faults  have  been 
committed  in  your  system  of  defence,  and  they  never  can  be  com 
mitted  with  impunity.  An  experienced  soldier  sees  them  at  the 
first  glance,  but  the  effects  are  felt  two  months  afterwards.  As 
your  two  principal  objects  were  Gaeta  and  Reggio,  and  you  have 
28,000  men,  you  ought  to  have  had  10  brigades  forming  5  divisions, 
placed  in  echelon,  at  distances  of  one  or  two  days'  march ;  you 
would  then  have  occupied  such  a  position  that  the  enemy  would 
not  have  dared  to  move,  for  in  an  instant,  and  without  losing  a 
single  day,  you  might  have  assembled  your  troops  at  Gaeta,  at 
Reggio,  or  at  St.  Euphemia.  You  should  arrange  your  Sicilian 
expedition  in  this  way :  you  should  start  too  formidable  to  be 
attacked  ;  you  should  abandon  every  position  in  your  rear,  except 
the  defence  of  your  capital,  and  should  act  entirely  on  the  aggres 
sive  against  the  enemy,  who  can  attempt  nothing  when  once  you 
have  accomplished  your  landing.  Such  is  the  art  of  war ;  you 
will  see  many  men  who  can  fight  well,  but  none  who  understand 
how  to  apply  this  principle.  If  there  had  been  a  brigade  of  3000 
or  4000  men  at  Cassano,  nothing  of  this  would  have  happened ; 
it  would  have  been  at  St.  Euphemia  as  soon  as  General  Reynier, 
and  the  English  would  have  been  beaten,  or,  rather,  they  would 
not  have  landed ;  they  were  emboldened  by  the  false  arrangement 
of  your  defence. 

If  I  were  to  send  to  you  badly  trained  recruits,  who  in  this 

*  As  a  specimen  of  the  occasional  obscurity  of  Napoleon's  style,  and  the 
consequent  difficulty  of  translating  his  letters,  I  add  the  original  of  this  sen 
tence  : — "  C'est  par  ces  placements  en  echelons  qu'on  est  sur  la  defensive,  a 
1'abri  de  tous  les  evenements,  en  ce  que,  lorsqu'on  veut  ensuite  prendre  I'ofren- 
sive  pour  un  but  determine,  1'ennemi  ne  peut  le  connaitre,  parce  qu'il  vous  a  vu 
sur  une  defensive  redoutable,  et  qu'avant  les  changements  qui  se  sont  passes  sur 
la  defensive,  les  dix  ou  douze  jours  des  operations  sont  termines."  Napoleon 
might  well  add,  "  Je  ne  sais  si  on  comprendra  quelque  chose  a  ce  que  je  dis 
la."— TK. 


JULY,  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TIIOOPS.  Yl  \ 

season  would  fall  ill,  the  ruin  of  your  army  would  be  complete. 
I  have  organised  your  depots  as  a  reserve ;  I  am  forming  them 
into  two  corps,  which  will  unite  with  the  artillery  at  Ancona  to 
join  the  troops  of  General  Lemarrois,  and  be  prepared  to  go  to 
your  assistance  wherever  they  may  be  wanted.* 

I  will  never  make  peace  without  Sicily.  If  it  is  necessary,  I 
will  proceed  to  Naples  at  the  right  time,  but  I  am  not  without 
hopes  of  peace  within  ten  or  twelve  days  on  these  terms. 

I  ought  to  tell  you  that  General  D employs  in  the  public 

service  young  men  of  a  re-actionary  spirit ;  amongst  others  the 

sons  of  L .  They  are  all  thoroughly  ill-disposed.  The 

blunders  in  Calabria  will  cost  me  more  men  than  I  have  lost  in 
the  Grand  Army. 

All  the  art  of  war  consists  in  a  well-arranged  and  extremely 
circumspect  defensive,  and  a  bold  and  rapid  offensive.  As  soon 
as  you  have  Gaeta,  remove  your  troops  from  Naples,  garrison 
your  castles,  and  provision  them  for  a  month.  Leave  a  regiment 
of  cavalry  and  1500  infantry  to  keep  order.  Place  your  first 
brigade  one  day's  march  out  of  Naples,  and  the  rest  as  I  have 
told  you,  consulting  a  little  the  character  of  the  ground. 


[  208.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  30, 1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  have  already  sent  to  you  500,000  francs.  I 
have  just  given  orders  to  send  to  you  500,000  more.  I  have 
also  ordered  five  battalions  of  1000  men  each  to  be  collected  at 
Ancona,  from  whence  they  will  march  to  your  support  imme 
diately  after  their  arrival. 

I  have  seen  with  pleasure  the  capture  of  Gaeta. 

I  am  waiting  for  intelligence  of  General  Reynier.  I  cannot 
too  often  repeat  to  you — do  not  keep  your  troops  in  Naples ;  have 
there  only  enough  to  hold  the  city  and  the  forts.  Let  camps  or 
cantonments  be  formed  at  a  distance  of  one  or  two  days'  march 

*  Joseph  wished  the  depots  of  some  of  the  French  and  Swiss  regiments  in 
his  service  to  be  removed  to  the  Neapolitan  territory,  in  which  case  the  recruits 
would  have  been  sent  to  him  as  soon  as  raised. — TR. 


172  NAPLES.— DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  CHAP.  VII, 

from  Naples.  Establish  yourself  in  a  country-house  ;  this  step, 
which  would  not  have  been  advisable  before  the  capture  of  Gaeta, 
is  very  fit  now  that  the  public  mind  is  reassured.  Do  not  listen 
to  those  who  would  put  you  between  Benevento  and  Capua. 
Place  yourself  between  Naples  and  Calabria;  assemble  your 
forces  and  despatch  expeditions  to  burn  the  insurgent  villages. 
I  suppose  that  you  have  driven  back  into  the  sea  the  English 
who  have  landed  on  the  coast  of  Salerno.  Do  not  let  the  Cala- 
brians  and  the  enemy  take  the  initiative  ;  you  have  force  enough 
to  reconquer  the  kingdom  of  Naples  and  of  Italy.*  The  Eng 
lish  are  not  formidable ;  but  if  you  attack  them  without  artillery 
and  in  disorder,  and,  for  the  most  part,  with  bad  troops  like  the 
Poles,  failure  is  not  surprising. 

The  Governor  of  Naples  ought  to  have  a  house  in  the  town, 
and  also  apartments  in  the  castles,  and  the  castles  should  be  pro 
visioned  for  three  months. 

You  should  not  make  one  retrograde  step  :  perish,  if  necessary, 
upon  the  Neapolitan  territory.  Your  dispositions  have  not  all 
been  good. 

There  should  be  no  troops  at  Naples ;  100,000  men  cannot 
keep  the  town,  nor  will  order  be  maintained  there  by  15,000  better 
than  by  1500.  Vigorous  measures  will  reassure  your  capital 
more  than  assembling  within  its  walls  a  quantity  of  troops  which 
will  in  time  be  considered  barely  enough  to  do  the  police  duty. 

You  may  take  the  aggressive  in  Calabria  without  descending 
into  the  extremity  of  Italy,  unless  you  are  obliged  to  do  so  in 
order  to  extricate  General  Keynier  ;  your  troops  will  march  will 
ingly.  From  Cassano  to  Naples  is  only  50  leagues.  You  must 
not  lose  a  moment  in  placing  there  your  advanced  posts.  It  is 
the  only  way  of  securing  peace  to  your  kingdom.  If  it  is  not 
done  soon,  even  our  negotiations  will  suffer.  The  occupation  of 
this  position  by  6000  men,  who  may  be  reinforced  in  one  day  by 
3000  more,  and  in  two  days  by  6000,  who,  if  attacked  by  a  force 
considerably  superior,  may  retreat  one  day's  march,  and  thus  join 

*  I  suspect  that  "  1'Italie  "  is  inserted  in  the  text  by  mistake,  instead  of 
"la  Sidle."— TR. 


J0LT,  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  173 

another  3000,  will  restore  to  you  tranquillity  and  prevent  the  affairs 
of  Calabria  from  having  any  further  influence  on  politics.  In  the 
mean  time,  you  will  organise  your  service,  you  will  send  expedi 
tions  to  subdue  the  villages ;  and,  lastly,  if  the  enemy  should 
attempt  to  attack  Naples,  in  two  days  you  might  assemble  there 
9000  men.  But  these  things  are  not  done  suddenly ;  a  landing 
is  not  easily  accomplished ;  it  is  always  preceded  by  disturbances 
in  the  interior.  I  am  impatient  to  hear  that  you  have  occupied 
Cassano.  Besides  this,  you  should  order  two  or  three  of  the 
large  villages  that  have  behaved  the  worst  to  be  pillaged ;  it  will 
be  an  example,  and  will  restore  the  gaiety  and  the  desire  for 
action  of  your  soldiers.  Supposing  the  English  to  be  in  force  in 
Calabria,  and  that  they  are  willing  to  pursue  seriously  a  war  in 
which  the  gain  is  so  disproportionate  to  the  cost,  if  you  have  an 
advanced  guard  at  Cassano,  sustained  at  distances  of  a  few  marches 
by  two  or  three  brigades,  you  will  be  reinforced  in  three  days  by 
9000  men ;  and  if,  after  all,  your  advanced  troops  should  think 
themselves  not  sufficiently  strong,  by  retreating  one  march  they 
would  be  joined  by  3000  more.  It  is  in  this  manner  that  a  war 
is  carried  on  when  you  have  a  great  many  points  to  keep,  and 
you  do  not  know  which  of  them  the  enemy  will  attack.  You 
may  remove  your  own  head-quarters  to  10  or  12  leagues  distance 
from  Naples ;  posts  of  cavalry  and  signals  should  be  established 
that  you  may  communicate  with  the  points  of  the  coast  on  your 
right  flank ;  and  when  at  length  the  time  comes  and  the  weather 
is  cooler,  you  can  put  yourself  in  motion,  and  retake  the  whole  of 
Calabria. 

It  does  not  enter  into  my  plans  ever  to  make  peace  unless  I 
have  Sicily.  If  Calabria  continue  an  obstacle,  and  the  affairs 
of  the  Continent  do  not  call  me  elsewhere,  I  shall  bo  at  Naples 
towards  the  end  of  September. 

You  have  as  good  generals  as  are  to  be  found  in  France.  St. 
Cyr  is  very  prudent.  Eeynier  indeed  has  committed  all  sorts  of 
faults  which  I  did  not  expect.  To  succeed,  one  must  be  some 
times  very  bold,  and  sometimes  very  prudent.  As  soon  as 
Reynier  returns  to  you,  send  the  3  regiments  which  are  with 
him  to  the  rear,  where  they  may  be  quiet.  They  should  be  at 


[74  NAPLES.— DISPOSAL  OF  TKOOPS.  CHAP.  VII, 

one  of  the  intermediate  stations,  neither  the  nearest  to  Cassano 
nor  the  nearest  to  Naples.  I  see  no  objection  to  your  employing 
French  officers  in  your  service,  nor  to  your  placing  them  in  your 
guard,  provided  that  you  do  not  too  much  weaken  the  cadres  of 
the  regiments.  You  will  let  me  know  about  it,  and  send  me  a 
memorandum,  that  I  may  replace  them  in  their  corps. 


[  209.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  CiOud,  July  18,  1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  19th  of 
July.  I  see  with  pleasure  that  you  have  sent  off  6  regiments  of 
foot  and  2  of  horse  to  Cassano.  These  are  enough  to  subdue  the 
whole  of  Calabria  and  to  beat  the  English.  Our  ignorance  of 
what  has  happened  to  General  Reynier  makes  me  uneasy ;  per 
haps  he  may  maintain  himself  in  the  environs  of  Cotrona.  It 
is  urgent  that  he  should  be  extricated,  for  he  can  have  very  few 
provisions.  In  the  different  letters  which  I  have  written  to  you 
I  have  told  you  what  to  do.  Your  troops  should  be  arranged,  I 
cannot  too  often  repeat  it,  in  echelons,  the  castles  of  Naples  pro 
visioned  and  armed,  your  depots  placed  in  security  in  G-aeta  and 
Capua,  and  your  25,000  or  30,000  men  stationed  in  such  a  man 
ner  that  in  four  days  three-fourths  at  least  of  them  can  be  brought 
together,  and  in  five  forced  marches  be  thrown  either  upon  Naples 
or  upon  Cassano.  You  have  coasts  to  defend,  it  is  true,  but  so 
have  I  in  every  direction ;  and  if  it  were  the  fact  that  their  ships 
gave  such  an  advantage  to  the  English,  it  would  follow  that  with 
their  50,000  disposable  men  they  might  hold  in  check  a  much 
greater  number  of  my  troops ;  but  for  everything  you  must  have 
a  plan. 

I  told  you  long  ago  that  you  disperse  your  troops  too  much ; 
keep  them  assembled,  and  you  will  experience  what  has  happened 
in  France :  the  English  have  often  landed,  but  they  have  been 
well  beaten,  and  they  no  longer  venture  to  disembark. 

If,  instead  of  leaving  Cassano  without  troops,  you  had 
stationed  2  regiments  there;  instead  of  keeping  them  in  Puglia 
and  scattered  along  the  coast,  the  English  would  have  been  driven 
back  into  the  sea,  and  you  would  have  secured  tranquillity  for  a 


JULY,  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  175 

long  time.  The  idea  that  Naples  cannot  be  defended  against  a 
maritime  power  is  ridiculous.  If,  indeed,  you  say  that  you  ought 
to  choose  for  your  habitual  residence  some  other  town  than  Naples 
— one  situated  further  inland — I  am  of  the  same  opinion.  I 
should  be  glad  to  have  plans  of  the  forts  of  Naples  with  remarks 
by  engineers,  and  plans  of  Capua  with  notes  informing  me  of  the 
chief  points  of  the  environs.  You  will  have  Naples  and  Sicily, 
you  will  be  recognised  by  the  whole  of  Europe ;  but  if  you  do  t 
not  take  more  vigorous  measures  than  you  have  done  as  yet,  you 
will  be  dethroned  disgracefully  in  the  first  continental  war.  You 
are  too  indulgent,  especially  for  the  country  in  which  you  are. 
You  should  disarm,  sentence,  and  exile.  In  my  opinion  the  first 
works  to  be  constructed  when  you  are  master  of  Sicily  will  be  a 
fort  at  Faro,  and  another  at  Scylla.  However,  have  no  fears. 
I  will  keep  my  promises,  and  I  will  be  with  you  myself,  if  neces 
sary,  at  the  end  of  September.  The  kingdom  of  Italy  yields  me 
140  millions  of  francs  Milanese ;  the  kingdom  of  Naples  and  of 
Sicily  should  yield  you  as  much ;  you  cannot  do  with  less.  You 
should  have  in  your  service  3000  Corsicans,  6000  Swiss,  and  not 
more  than  6000  Neapolitans.  You  do  not  sufiiciently  employ  the 
Neapolitan  officers  who  have  served  in  the  Army  of  Italy. 
Follow  my  maxims :  make  your  army  patriotic ;  employ  officers 
who  are  partisans  of  France,  and  who  have  displayed  energy ; 
they  will  never  betray  you  for  Queen  Caroline.  If  you  govern 
your  country  with  vigour,  and  raise  from  it  a  revenue  of  140  or 
150  million  francs,  you  will  be  able  to  keep  6  vessels  of  the  line 
and  as  many  frigates,  which,  joined  to  my  fleet  at  Toulon,  will 
render  more  expensive  and  less  secure  the  English  ascendency  in 
the  Mediterranean.  Do  not  make  too  much  use  of  the  Neapoli 
tan  troops,  which  would  abandon  you  if  I  were  beaten  in  Italy. 
You  should  think  of  these  things,  and  employ  troops  which  will 
not  desert  you. 

The  1st  Swiss  regiment  is  composed  of  men  who  have  served 
in  France,  and  who  will  remain  faithful.  So  will  the  Corsicans, 
and  they  can  be  easily  recruited.  The  Neapolitan  patriots  who 
were  in  France  at  the  time  of  the  Italian  revolution  will  likewise 
be  true  to  you.  I  make  no  mention  of  the  French  army,  because, 


376  NAPLES— SEVERITY  RECOMMENDED.  CHAP.  VIL 

as  the  destiny  of  France  can  be  affected  only  by  a  coalition  of  all 
the  rest  of  Europe,  under  such  circumstances  she  would  want  all 
her  troops,  and  I  could  scarcely  spare  you  more  than  2  or  3  regi 
ments.  Bear  in  mind  what  I  tell  you :  the  fate  of  your  reign 
depends  on  your  conduct  when  you  return  from  Calabria.  Grant 
no  pardons ;  do  military  execution  on  at  least  600  rebels ;  they 
have  murdered  a  great  number  of  my  soldiers.  Let  the  houses 
of  thirty  of  the  principal  heads  of  villages  be  burnt,  and  dis 
tribute  their  property  among  the  troops.  Disarm  all  the  inhabi 
tants,  and  pillage  five  or  six  of  the  large  villages  which  have 
behaved  worst.  Desire  the  soldiers  to  treat  well  the  towns  which 
have  remained  faithful.  Confiscate  the  public  property  of  the 
revolted  villages,  and  give  it  to  the  army ;  above  all,  disarm 
vigorously. 

Since  you  compare  the  Neapolitans  to  the  Corsicans,  recollect 
that  when  Niolo  was  taken  forty  rebels  were  hung  upon  the  trees, 
and  such  alarm  was  spread  that  not  a  person  ventured  to  stir 
afterwards.  On  my  return  from  the  Grand  Army,  Piacenza 
rebelled ;  I  sent  thither  Junot,  who  sent  me  reports  full  of  French 
cleverness,  and  declared  that  no  rebellion  had  taken  place.  I 
ordered  him  to  burn  two  villages,  and  to  shoot  the  ringleaders, 
among  whom  were  six  priests.  This  was  done,  the  country  was 
subdued,  and  will  remain  so  for  a  long  time. 

You  see  the  awe  inspired  by  the  Queen ;  I  certainly  do  not 
set  up  her  conduct  as  an  example,  but  it  is  no  less  true  that  it 
gives  her  power.  If  you  act  with  vigour  and  energy,  there  will 
be  no  disturbance,  either  in  Calabria  or  in  the  other  provinces, 
for  the  next  thirty  years. 

I  will  end  my  letter  as  I  began  it :  you  will  be  King  of  Naples 
and  Sicily,  you  will  have  three  or  four  years  of  peace.  If  you 
choose  to  be  a  mere  nominal  sovereign, — if  you  do  not  hold  the  " 
reins  with  a  firm  and  steady  hand, — if  you  listen  to  the  opinions 
of  the  people,  who  know  not  what  they  want, — if  you  do  not 
make  yourself  rich  by  putting  an  end  to  old  abuses  and  encroach 
ments, — if  you  do  not  impose  taxes  sufficient  to  enable  you  to 
keep  in  your  service  French,  Corsicans,  Swiss,  and  Neapolitans, 
and  to  arm  your  vessels,  you  will  do  nothing  at  all,  and,  in  four 


JULT,  1806.  EXPEDITION  TO  CALABEIA.  177 

years,  instead  of  being  of  use  to  me,  you  will  do  me  harm,  for 
you  will  deprive  me  of  some  of  my  resources. 

You  must  construct  a  fort  at  Scylla ;  send  me  as  soon  as  pos 
sible  the  plans,  that  I  may  approve  them.  As  soon  as  you  are 
in  Sicily,  hasten  to  erect  a  similar  fort  on  the  coast  opposite  to 
Scylla,  in  order  to  unite  our  two  kingdoms. 

As  Calabria  has  revolted,  why  should  you  not  seize  half  the 
estates  in  the  province,  and  give  them  to  your  army  ?  This 
measure  would  be,  at  the  same  time,  a  great  help  to  you  and  an 
example  for  the  future.  You  will  never  succeed  in  changing  and 
reforming  a  country  by  weak  measures;  extraordinary  and 
vigorous  expedients  are  requisite.  As  the  Calabrians  have  assas 
sinated  my  soldiers,  I  myself  will  issue  the  decree  confiscating 
for  the  benefit  of  my  army  one-half  of  the  revenues  of  the  pro 
vince,  both  public  and  private.  But  if  you  begin  by  asserting 
that  Calabria  is  not  in  revolt,  and  that  it  has  always  been  at 
tached  to  you,  your  kindness,  or,  in  other  words,  your  weakness 
and  timidity,  will  be  very  mischievous  to  France. 

You  are  too  indulgent. 


[210.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  July  31, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  22nd  of 
July,  in  which  you  inform  me  of  the  entrance  into  Naples  of  the 
troops  from  the  siege  of  Gaeta.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  have 
given  6000  men  to  Marshal  Mass6na  for  the  expedition  into 
Calabria,  but  I  am  sorry  that  you  have  not  placed  your  troops  in 
echelons,  which  would  enable  you,  if  necessary,  in  three  days  to 
assemble  them  and  fall  upon  the  English.  I  will  suppose  Mas- 
sena  arrived  at  Cassano  :  if  he  should  hear  that  General  Reynier 
is  hemmed  in  by  12,000  English  and  4000  or  5000  insurgents, 
he  will  take  up  a  position,  and  will  be  forced  to  wait  a  fortnight 
till  you  send  him  reinforcements.  On  the  other  hand,  by  placing 
these  troops  in  echelons,  they  would  be  able  in  three  or  four  days, 
either  to  join  him,  or  to  return,  if  they  were  wanted,  to  Naples 
or  to  Salerno,  and  he  would  be  able  to  extricate  Reynier  without 
delay.  You  are  aware  that  by  this  time  Reynier  has  with  him 

VOL.  I.— 8* 


178  NAPLES.— PROPOSED  FOKTKESS.  CHAP  VII 

not  more  tnan  4000  men,  dispirited  and  in  disorder.  What  a 
disgrace  and  misfortune  it  would  be,  if  these  brave  fellows,  after 
having  defended  themselves  to  the  utmost,  were  obliged  to  surren 
der  their  colours !  I  have  written  to  you  two  long  letters  on 
the  subject.  I  have  ordered  the  Poles  to  join  you,  as  well  as 
their  depot.  I  have  ordered  6000  men  to  be  assembled,  under 
the  command  of  General  Lemarrois,  at  Ancona,  in  order  to  pro 
ceed  to  Naples,  but  it  will  require  time  to  collect  them  at  Ancona. 
I  have  also  given  orders  to  General  Lemarrois  to  despatch  to  you 
all  the  detachments  of  the  Corsican  legion  and  of  the  Poles 
which  are  with  him,  and  the  Swiss  battalion  from  Ancona.  I 
have  ordered  General  Duhesme  to  send  to  you  the  battalion  of 
the  regiment  of  Latour  d'Auvergne  which  is  at  Civita  Vecchia. 
The  other  two  battalions  of  this  regiment  are  at  Genoa,  and  are 
immediately  to  set  off  in  order  to  join  the  first.  But  it  is  not 
troops  that  are  wanting  to  you ;  it  is  skill  in  collecting  them, 
keeping  them  together,  and  making  them  act  with  vigour. 


[211.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  1,  1806. 


My  Brother,  —  You  deal  in  useless  hypotheses.*  A 
sooner,  or  a  year  later,  you  will  be  master  of  Sicily,  and  that 
Medea  will  not  have  an  inch  of  ground  there.  General  Cam- 
predon  has  just  arrived.  He  appeared  to  me  to  be  extremely 
pulled  down.  When  he  has  rested  I  will  send  him  back  to  you, 
but  I  should  like,  before  he  returns,  to  come  to  some  decision 
respecting  the  fortifications  of  Naples.  You  should  therefore 
send  him  all  the  necessary  plans.  You  ought  to  have  a  large 
fortress,  in  which  all  the  artillery  and  the  depots  may  be  in 
safety,  and  which  may  stand  a  long  siege,  so  as  to  allow  time  for 
succours  to  arrive.  Where  should  this  fortress  be  ?  Which 

*  Joseph  had  asked  Napoleon  whether,  in  the  hypothesis  that  the  circum 
stances  of  Napoleou  were  such  as  to  require  the  French  army  in  the  kingdom 
of  Naples  to  leave  that  kingdom  in  order  to  join  the  army  of  Upper  Italy,  the 
fortresses  of  St.  Elmo,  Capua,  Gaeta,  and  Pescara  should  be  garrisoned  or 
abandoned.  This  hypothesis,  though  often  suggested  by  Napoleon,  seems  to 
have  offended  him  when  suggested  by  another.  —  TK. 


ATJQ.  1806.  PBOPOSED  FORTRESS.  179 

situation  will  you  select  ?  shall  it  be  at  Cassano,  or  elsewhere  ? 
These  are  very  important  questions.  For  after  all  you  cannot 
stand  unsupported  in  the  midst  of  a  hostile  people,  whose  dispo 
sition  is  and  always  has  been  fickle,  and  who  for  the  few  first 
years  of  your  reign  will  be  unsettled.  Supposing  the  French  to 
be  beaten  in  Italy,  and  that  we  were  forced  to  fight  in  the  king 
dom  of  Naples  :  it  would  be  of  great  consequence  to  possess  a 
fortress  capable  of  containing  the  depots,  the  hospitals,  the 
various  supplies  and  munitions  of  war ,  and  which  might  serve 
the  army  as  a  rallying-point  where  they  might  concentrate  their 
defence. 

There  may  be  some  arguments  in  favour  of  placing  this  for 
tress  at  Naples  itself;  not  that  any  man  of  sense  would  think 
of  enclosing  that  immense  town  within  the  walls  of  a  fortification, 
but  it  might  be  situated  in  the  environs,  and  so  that  its  fire  should 
bear  on  the  roadstead.  This  would  give  you  the  twofold  advan 
tage  of  defending  the  town,  and  of  keeping  it  in  subjection,  which 
would  be  a  most  important  result.  I  am  not  thinking  of  a  mere 
citadel,  which  would  be  of  little  use,  but  of  a  fortification  at 
least  6000  yards  in  extent.  Consult  some  engineers  on  the  sub 
ject.  It  would  be  a  great  advantage  if,  by  means  of  a  single 
fortress,  you  could  hold  the  town  in  submission,  have  batteries  on 
the  fort,  and  shelter  all  the  artillery  establishments,  the  maga 
zines,  and  the  depots  of  the  army.  By  working  at  it  for  three 
or  four  years,  and  spending  3,000,000  or  4,000,000  fr.  a  year,  you 
might  have  a  fortress  which  could  stand  a  siege  of  six  months, 
and,  as  it  would  contain  a  garrison  of  12,000  or  15,000  men, 
would  give  occupation  to  a  considerable  army.  There  is  no  good 
in  having  a  number  of  fortresses. 

Whether  you  establish  this  fortress  at  Naples  or  at  Capua, 
you  will  want  one  at  each  extremity  of  Calabria,  at  Charybdis 
and  at  Scylla,  to  unite  the  two  parts  of  your  kingdom ;  another 
at  Taranto,  or  in  a  better  situation  if  it  is  possible,  which  may 
be  able,  even  if  we  should  lose  our  superiority  on  land,  to  afford 
shelter  to  my  magazines  and  to  my  ships,  if  they  should  be 
wanted  at  Taranto  to  arrange  the  affairs  of  the  Levant.  It  will 
afterwards  be  necessary  to  establish  forts  in  the  islands,  and  good 


NAPLES.— PROPOSED  FOETEESS.  CHAP.  VIL 

redoubts  with  masonry  in  the  embrasures  commanding  the  anchor 
age;  but  this  is  not  of  the  first  consequence.  The  most  im 
portant  point  is  to  have  a  good  place  of  security,  in  which  the 
King  himself  might  take  refuge  and  defend  himself  for  years 
with  the  men  who  are  most  attached  to  him.  For  when  once 
the  kingdom  of  Naples  is  gained,  it  should  be  the  first  principle 
of  the  reigning  family  never  to  pass  the  frontier,  and  to  perish, 
if  forced  to  do  so,  in  its  defence.  When  the  nation  believes  this, 
a  new  direction  will  be  given  to  public  opinion.  A  dynasty 
educated  in  this  principle  would  be  never  conquered  or  dethroned. 
You  must  perceive  that,  if  the  ex-King  of  Naples  had  possessed 
such  a  fortress,  and  had  shut  himself  up  in  it  instead  of  flying  to 
Sicily,  you  would  have  found  no  resources  in  artillery,  you  would 
have  had  two  sieges,  which  might  have  lasted  a  couple  of  years, 
and  peace  or  some  other  event  on  the  Continent  might  have 
saved  him. 

[212.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  3, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  24th.  You 
may  tell  Marshal  Massena  that  I  have  released  Ardant.*  Hav 
ing  examined  with  attention  the  sections  of  Gaeta,  I  think  that 
it  is  not  worth  occupying.  A  fortress  cannot  be  strong  which 
can  be  battered  in  breach  without  getting  to  the  covered  way, 
and  of  which  the  breach  itself  is  practicable  without  having  to 
pass  a  ditch  or  blow  up  a  counterscarp.  I  know  nothing  about 
either  Capua  or  Pescara,  but  I  can  hardly  think  that  Pescara  can 
require  3000  men  for  its  defence. 

Even  if  war  should  spring  up  again  on  the  Continent,  I  should 
be  satisfied  with  taking  back  from  the  Army  of  Naples  the  same 
number  of  troops  which  I  have  sent  to  it  from  its  depots ;  that 
is  to  say,  as  many  as  four  regiments  of  infantry  and  three-quarters 
of  the  cavalry :  with  these  I  should  have  enough. 

*  In  his  letter  of  the  24th  Joseph  had  said,  "  Mass6na  is  mad  about  his 
money  in  the  hands  of  one  Ardant,  whom  you  have  arrested  in  Paris.  Per 
haps  this  sum  may  be  left  to  him.  It  is  not  a  sixth  part  of  what  you  have 
forced  him  to  restore." — TR. 


ATJG.  1806.  CONFISCATIONS  AND  EXECUTIONS.  Igl 

[213.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  6, 1806. 

My  Brother, — It  seems  that  the  English  are  becoming  more 
conciliatory.  The  negotiations  have  been  opened  in  form.  Lord 
Lauderdale  and  Lord  Yarmouth  are  the  English  negotiators ;  the 
former  arrived  this  morning.  As  the  King  of  England  is  aware 
that  I  am  determined  to  be  master  of  Naples  and  Sicily,  this 
point  may  be  considered  as  granted.  You  have  a  fine  kingdom ; 
it  is  your  duty  not  to  fall  asleep  on  your  throne,  but  to  organise 
your  finances  with  energy,  so  as  to  have  a  good  fleet  and  a  good 
army.  You  must  not  forget  that  the  kindness  of  kings  consists 
in  strength  and  in  strict  justice.  You  confound  the  kindness  of 
a  monarch  with  that  of  a  private  individual.  I  am  waiting  to 
hear  how  many  estates  you  have  confiscated  in  Calabria,  and  how 
many  rebels  you  have  executed.  You  should  shoot  in  every  vil 
lage  three  of  the  ringleaders.  Do  not  spare  the  priests  more 
than  the  others. 

[214.]  NAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  7, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  29th  of 
July.  I  see  with  pleasure  that  the  troops  have  arrived  at 
Lagonegro,  from  whence  I  conclude  that  they  have  by  this  time 
joined  those  of  General  Reynier  at  Cosenza,  and  that  the  Eng 
lish  have  either  been  driven  into  the  sea  or  forced  to  re-embark. 


[215.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  9, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  30th  of 
July.*  It  pains  me  to  see  the  system  which  you  pursue.  What 
good  will  50,000  armed  and  trained  provincial  guards  do  ?  None 

*  In  this  letter  Joseph  had  said,  "  In  the  province  of  Montefusco  10,000 
men  are  enrolled  in  the  provincial  guards.  15,000  enrolled  themselves  volun 
tarily  in  Naples.  I  disarm  every  one  except  the  provincial  guards.  I  make 
out  and  print  the  register  of  this  army  of  the  interior,  which  will  amount  to 
50,000  men,  all  proprietors  or  notoriously  enemies  of  the  ex-Queen." — TR. 


NAPLES.— PROVINCIAL  GtJAEDS.  CHAP.  VIL 

but  to  spend  your  money,  to  oppose  your  wishes,  and  to  make  all 
sorts  of  claims.  No  system  can  be  more  false,  or,  in  its  ultimate 
results,  more  fatal.  At  the  first  rumour  of  war  upon  the  Con 
tinent,  the  men  will  at  the  best  remain  neutral,  the  officers  will 
negotiate  with  the  enemy.  If  they  hear  of  a  battle  lost  on  the 
Isonzo  or  on  the  Adige,  they  will  turn  against  you.  If  I  am  at 
peace,  or  if  I  conquer,  what  will  you  want  with  them  ?  I  should 
not  consider  this  system  as  without  disadvantages  even  in  France ; 
how  much  more  dangerous  will  it  be  in  a  country  whose  antipathy 
towards  you  can  be  overcome  only  by  time,  only  by  years  !  You 
are  too  precipitate.  Some  partial  disembarkations  and  the  escape 
of  a  few  wretched  convicts  may  be  prevented ;  but  what  trifling 
advantages  are  these  that  you  should  sacrifice  to  them  the  safety 
and  sovereignty  of  your  kingdom !  You  must  not  think  that 
these  landings  will  be  perpetually  repeated,  and  that  they  grow 
again  like  the  heads  of  the  hydra.  A  few  striking  successes  will 
inspire  such  terror  that  no  more  attempts  will  be  made  to  land  on 
your  shores.  I  witnessed  the  war  in  La  Vende"e,  which,  it  was 
supposed,  would  never  end ;  I  saw  my  troops  in  Egypt  harassed 
and  annoyed  by  the  Bedouins ;  a  few  signal  failures  put  an  end 
to  it  all,  and  restored  tranquillity.  But  those  who  surround  you 
have  no  knowledge  of  men.  You  do  not  listen  to  a  man  who 
has  done  much,  seen  much,  and  thought  much.  Do  not  carry  out 
your  scheme  of  a  national  guard — nothing  can  be  more  dangerous. 
Those  fellows  will  get  vain,  and  fancy  that  they  are  not  conquered. 
No  people  that  has  this  idea  is  really  subdued.  You  make  me 
laugh  when  you  say  that  these  men  are  50,000  enemies  of  the 
Queen.  Naples  is  a  country  of  intriguers,  who  change  with  every 
wind ;  you  exaggerate  their  hatred  of  the  Queen :  you  do  not 
know  mankind.  There  are  not  twenty  people  who  hate  her  as 
much  as  you  think,  and  there  are  not  twenty  people  who  would 
not  yield  to  one  of  her  smiles,  to  one  of  her  advances.  What  a 
nation  most  hates  is  another  nation.  Your  50,000  men  all  hate 
the  French.  Time,  prudence,  and  family  alliances,  can  alone 
bring  them  together.  You  raise  50,000  men,  and  make  them 
think  themselves  necessary ;  this  is  to  put  yourself  in  a  false  posi 
tion  and  to  spoil  your  conquest. 


AUG.  180C.  DISPOSAL  OF  TKOOPS.  183 

Neither  am  I  satisfied  with  the  manner  in  which  you  have 
distributed  your  regiments  in  Calabria.  The  1st  and  42nd  have 
suffered  much ;  they  are  reduced  to  one-half.  You  have  sent 
thither  five  regiments  of  foot ;  they  would  be  sufficient  if  they 
were  backed  at  three  days'  march  by  2500  men,  and  at  another 
two  days'  march  by  2500  more.  I  have  explained  to  you  how 
the  rules  of  war  require  this  to  be  done.  I  am  sorry  not  to  see 
Massena  sufficiently  strong,  and  in  the  course  of  receiving  rein 
forcements,  for  the  English  have  certainly  added  to  their  strength 
at  the  lower  end  of  Calabria.  You  seem  to  have  too  many  troops 
everywhere.  Your  reserve  would  be  very  well  if  it  were  half 
way  between  Naples  and  Cassano.  The  number  of  troops  that 
you  maintain  at  Naples  is  absurd.  The  enemy  will  never  land 
before  that  city.  He  will  be  no  more  anxious  than  you  are  to 
bury  himself  in  a  great  town  without  having  beaten  the  army  of 
observation.  There  ought  to  be  a  brigade  two  leagues  from 
Naples,  so  that  it  can  be  there  in  the  course  of  four  hours.  You 
had  not  enough  calvary  in  the  camp  of  St.  Euphemia ;  it  would 
have  done  wonders  there.  You  have  too  large  a  force  at  Gaeta, 
in  the  Abruzzi,  and  in  Puglia.  The  art  of  war  is  to  dispose  your 
troops  so  that  they  may  be  everywhere  at  once.  For  instance, 
you  have  placed  nearly  3000  men  in  Puglia ;  three  quarters  of 
these  troops  should  be  stationed  so  that  they  can  in  one  or  two 
days  return  to  Gaeta,  or  march  on.  Naples.  I  would  undertake 
to  have  an  army  less  by  half  than  yours,  and  still  to  have  a 
greater  force  at  Cassano,  at  Gaeta,  if  necessary  in  the  Abruzzi, 
and  in  Puglia. 

I  beseech  you  not  to  read  this  without  attention.  The  art 
of  distributing  troops  is  the  great  art  of  war.  Place  them  al 
ways  in  such  a  manner,  that  whatever  the  enemy  may  do  you  may 
be  able  to  have  your  forces  united  within  a  few  days.  Want  of 
acquaintance  with  this  first  principle  in  war  caused  Reynier's  mis 
fortunes,  and  makes  you  feel  uneasy  while  you  have  an  abundance 
of  troops.  So  long  as  you  do  not  make  it  a  maxim  to  have  de 
pots  in  the  forts  of  Naples,  two  regiments  of  calvary  and  one  of 
infantry  at  the  gates  (you  may  employ  at  Naples  the  Neapolitans 
whom  you  have  already  at  Capua  and  elsewhere),  you  will  always 


184  NAPLES.— DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  CHAP.  VII 

feel  the  want  of  troops.  An  army  would  not  suffice  to  guard 
your  capital;  and  yet  two  battalions  would  be  enough  if  the 
people  were  accustomed  to  no  more. 

I  observe  in  your  returns  1200  men  of  the  guard;  are  these 
Italians  or  French  ?  You  have  never  spoken  of  them  to  me. 
Do  not  derange  the  cadres  of  my  regiments  without  my  knowing 
anything  of  it.  If  you  had  consulted  me,  I  should  have  told 
you  that  it  is  needless  to  spend  so  much  on  your  guard.  I  see 
that  your  regiments  of  cavalry  are  very  weak ;  if  you  withdraw 
men  from  them  for  your  guard,  all  order  and  all  regularity  of 
accounts  will  be  lost.  You  ought  to  have  made  my  Minister  of 
War  report  to  me  on  the  subject  and  propose  to  me  a  decree ;  I 
should  have  done  what  was  right.  If  from  the  14  regiments 
which  you  have  you  take  the  best  men  for  your  guard,  I  shall  end 
by  having  no  army  in  Naples. 

All  that  you  tell  me  of  the  money  scattered  by  the  English  is 
untrue.  I  have  not  been  taken  in.  I  am  well  used  to  rumours 
of  this  kind.  All  that  is  said  of  the  plundering  by  the  English 
is  equally  false,.  My  old  experience  tells  me  more  than  all  the 
reports  which  can  be  given  to  me.  If  you  really  must  have 
4000  Neapolitans  at  Naples,  so  be  it ;  but  then  have  no  more, 
and  select  for  this  service  fathers  of  families,  very  cowardly,  very 
old,  who  are  just  fit  to  protect  the  house  when  there  is  a  cry  of 
thieves.  To  do  otherwise  would  be  to  prepare  for  yourself  great 
misfortunes.  The  revolt  has  not  gained  ground  because  the 
English  have  not  advanced  into  the  interior ;  they  were  afraid 
of  losing  their  soldiers  through  the  great  heats  among  the  moun 
tains,  of  being  cut  off,  and  of  suffering  some  great  check. 

You  have  far  too  many  generals ;  I  can  but  repeat  to  you 
that  you  may  send  back  as  many  as  you  please.  You  have  at 
Naples  regiments  which  will  be  useless  from  the  manner  in  which 
they  are  employed. 

Fools  will  tell  you  that  cavalry  are  of  no  use  in  Calabria ;  if 
this  is  the  case,  they  are  of  no  use  anywhere.  If  Reynier  had 
had  1200  horse,  and  had  managed  them  properly,  he  would  have 
inflicted  severe  injury  on  the  English,  particularly  if  he  had  had 
dragoons,  as  they  carry  guns  and  can  fight  on  foot ;  but  your 


AUG.  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TKOOPS. 

dragoons  are  dispersed,  and  therefore  useless.  You  have  five 
regiments  of  dragoons  all  scattered  abroad ;  you  ought  to  collect 
them  and  form  them  into  a  reserve,  with  four  pieces  of  light  field 
artillery.  These  3000  men,  who  would  be  able  to  march  30 
leagues  in  two  days,  could  be  directed  on  Naples,  or  on  any  other 
point  which  might  be  threatened.  Of  what  use  are  3000  isolated 
dragoons,  who  do  nothing  for  you,  arid  forget  that  they  are 
dragoons?  2000  or  3000  dragoons,  posted  40  leagues  from 
Naples,  on  the  road  towards  Cassano  and  St.  Euphemia,  would 
have  arrived  there  at  the  same  time  with  Reynier.  I  tell  you 
again,  keep  your  dragoons  together ;  give  them  four  or  six  pieces 
of  light  artillery  as  well  as  guns  and  cartridges.  Treat  them  as 
infantry,  and  organise  them  so  as  to  move  rapidly.  Between 
Oassano  and  Naples  there  are  50  leagues.  If  you  post  brigades 
of  these  dragoons  en  echelon^  in  36  hours  they  might  reach 
either  Naples  or  Cassano.  By  keeping  them  under  the  orders  of 
a  single  commander,  who  would  put  them  every  day  through 
their  foot  exercises,  you  would  make  them  into  excellent  infan- 
try. 

There  remains  one  thing  for  me  to  tell  you :  form  Neapolitan 
regiments,  but  not  too  many  of  them.  Of  what  use  would  they 
be  to  you  if  I  were  beaten  on  the  Isonzo  ?  In  all  your  opera 
tions,  both  civil  and  military,  steer  by  this  possibility,  as  if  it 
were  your  pole-star  :  all  your  proceedings  should  have  reference 
to  it.  I  only  laughed  at  your  fears  for  Naples  during  the  late 
events ;  and  although  I  saw  that  the  army  was  extremely  ill- 
placed,  I  felt  that,  when  the  danger  came,  instinct  would  teach 
you  to  make  a  better  distribution.  The  only  results  were  the 
loss  of  a  few  men,  some  trifling  landings  of  the  enemy,  and  par 
tial  failures.  But  it  would  be  otherwise  if  I  were  at  war,  and  if 
I  were  beaten  on  the  Isonzo.  You  must  not  think  that  every 
Neapolitan  regiment  which  you  create  increases  your  strength. 
From  the  time  that  you  oblige  me  to  send  you  money,  I  shall 
be  able  neither  to  raise  troops  nor  to  regulate  my  expenditure. 

I  flatter  myself  that  you  have  nothing  to  fear  at  present ;  you 
will  be  King  of  Naples  and  Sicily.  But  you  must  weigh 
seriously  all  your  measures.  Whenever  you  sign  a  document,  do 


186  NAPLES.— COMPOSITION  OF  ARMY.  CHAP.  VII 

you  ask  yourself,  "  Would  tho  effect  of  this  be  good  if  the  French 
army  were  driven  back  to  Alexandria?"  If  you  are  not  pene 
trated  with  this  idea,  you  will  not  reign  long,  and  you  prepare 
misfortunes  for  yourself  and  for  all  the  Neapolitans  who  may  join 
your  cause.  What  sort  of  troops  ought  you  to  have  ?  I  say 
Corsicans,  who  will  get  on  better  in  Naples  than  in  France,  because 
they  will  agree  better  with  the  Neapolitans  than  with  the  French ; 
as  many  Swiss  as  you  like — they  are  good  and  faithful  soldiers  ; 
perhaps  a  few  German  regiments  from  Hesse  Darmstadt,  or  from 
the  other  states  of  my  German  Confederation :  also  a  few  Neapoli 
tans,  but  introduced  gradually,  almost  imperceptibly,  and  chosen 
from  among  the  men  who  have  served  in  France,  and  who  formed 
part  of  the  army  of  reserve  in  the  eighth  year  of  the  Republic, 
and  who  have  since  then  been  put  to  the  proof;  all  others  would 
fail  you.  If  Italy  were  once  to  raise  the  cry,  "  Drive  the  bar 
barians  beyond  the  Alps ! "  all  your  army  would  abandon  you. 
I  wish  you  to  consult  me  upon  all  such  important  matters.  It  will 
not  do  to  say  that  you  would  take  refuge  in  my  camp.  An 
exiled,  vagrant  King  is  a  contemptible  being.  In  a  short  time  I 
shall  consolidate  my  system  in  such  a  manner  as  to  spare  you  a 
number  of  French  sufficient,  with  your  royal  army  of  Corsicans, 
Swiss,  and  Neapolitans,  to  enable  you  to  weather  any  storm. 

It  is  of  equal  importance  that  you  should  recall  all  the  diplo 
matic  agents  appointed  by  the  late  dynasty.  It  is  not  right  to 
leave  them  at  their  posts ;  they  betray  you  everywhere ;  and, 
indeed,  it  is  impossible  for  an  honest  man  to  change  his  colours 
between  morning  and  evening.  You  have  several  consuls  who 
make  a  very  bad  figure. 

The  month  of  August  is  drawing  to  a  close ;  in  four  weeks' 
time,  towards  the  15th  of  September,  the  weather  will  become 
good ;  at  the  end  of  October  all  your  sick  will  recover. 

The  time  for  action  for  the  French  in  Naples  is  from  October 
to  June. 


AUG.  1S06.  RECOGNITION  OF  JOSEPH.  187 

[21G.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  10, 1806. 

My  Brother, — Some  of  your  regiments  have  detachments  at 
Gaeta,  at  Naples,  in  the  Abruzzi,  and  in  Calabria.  The  conse 
quence  is,  that  no  proper  accounts  are  kept,  and  that  there  is 
neither  order  nor  esprit-de-corps.  Your  first  care  should  be 
to  keep  together  the  battalions,  otherwise  you  will  have  no  army. 
You  should  attend  to  this  every  day;  I  do  so  myself  every 
morning. 

[217.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  12,  1806. 

My  Brother, — Mr.  Fox's  illness  delays  the  negotiations. 
The  Grenville  party,  which  is  in  the  ascendant,  appears  little  in 
clined  to  peace.  I  have  just  heard  that  Mr.  Fox  has  undergone 
an  operation,  which  will  prevent  for  some  time  his  taking  a  part 
in  cabinet  councils.  But  this  operation  saves  his  life.  The 
Kh<g  of  Prussia  has  acknowledged  you  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
and  has  appointed  M.  Humboldt  to  be  his  Minister  at  your 
court.  M.  Humboldt  has  already  started.  If,  as  the  King 
supposes,  you  do  not  choose  to  send  a  Minister  to  Prussia,  you 
may  give  credentials  to  M.  Laforest.  You  have  been  recognised 
by  Austria,  and  also  by  Eussia  in  the  secret  articles  of  her  treaty 
You  are,  therefore,  acknowledged  by  nearly  all  the  powers  in 
Europe. 

You  are  aware  that  I  no  longer  recognise  a  German  Empire. 
The  Emperor  has  himself  relinquished  his  title,  and  keeps  only 
that  of  Emperor  of  Austria.  The  German  princes,  united  under 
the  name  of  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  hold  at  Frankfort 
an  assembly  composed  of  two  colleges,  over  which  the  High  Chan 
cellor  of  the  Empire  is  President ;  I  have  reserved  to  myself  the 
right  of  appointing  this  functionary.  I  have  assumed  the  title 
of  Protector  of  the  Confederation. 

I  told  you  that  I  had  formed  all  the  available  troops  in  your 
depots  into  eight  battalions.  These  eight  battalions,  forming  in 
all  a  force  of  more  than  5000  men,  are  marching  towards  An- 
cona,  and  will  soon  be  directed  on  Naples ;  they  will  repair  the 


}33  NAPLES.— THE  ARMY.  CHAP.  VII. 

losses  in  your  army.  You  will  gain  6000  more  in  the  months 
of  October  and  November  by  the  cessation  of  sickness  among 
your  troops.  I  think  that  you  would  do  well  to  leave  a  large 
army  in  Calabria,  that  you  may  be  able  to  occupy  yourself 
seriously  with  the  Sicilian  expedition.  You  must,  I  think,  feel 
the  importance  of  my  advice  respecting  the  use  to  be  made  of 
your  dragoons  by  placing  them  half  way  between  Naples  and  Ca 
labria.  Counting  the  5000  or  6000  men  who  will  be  sent  to  you 
from  your  depots,  you  will  undoubtedly  have  an  army  of  more 
than  40,000  men ;  20,000  should  be  kept  in  Calabria  between 
Reggio  and  Cassano,  and  20,000  between  Cassano  and  Naples. 
I  have  just  called  out  50,000  conscripts ;  they  will  join  in  the 
course  of  October.  All  the  divisions  of  your  army  are  to  have 
considerable  reinforcements  from  them.  You  will  be  able  also  to 
obtain  assistance  in  the  month  of  September  from  your  depots, 
which  will  at  that  time  be  joined  by  the  invalids  left  by  your 
army  in  the  kingdom  of  Italy.  You  will  find  that  the  dis 
couragement  of  your  troops  produced  by  the  great  heat  is  easily 
cured  in  Italy  by  the  return  of  the  cool  season ;  the  influence  of 
weather  is  incalculable. 

You  must  leave  General  Reynier  at  Reggio,  at  the  head  of  a 
strong  division.  You  should  have  three  divisions  in  Calabria, 
commanded  each  by  one  general  of  division  and  by  at  least  two 
brigadiers.  You  should  send  to  Calabria  neither  Poles  nor 
Italians,  nor  perhaps  the  1st  and  42nd  of  the  line,  who  appear  to 
have  suffered  a  great  deal  at  St.  Euphemia.  You  had  better 
recall  them  to  Naples,  whence  they  might  even  be  sent  back  to 
France,  if  it  be  true  that  they  have  suffered  so  much,  and  I  will 
replace  them  by  two  other  regiments  of  light  infantry.  You 
have  a  battalion  of  the  regiment  of  Latour  d'Auvergne,  which  I 
wish  to  keep  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  The  other  two  batta 
lions,  whose  strength  is  2000  men,  are  at  Genoa;  I  shall  order 
them  likewise  to  proceed  to  Naples. 

I  advise  you  to  spend  an  hour  every  morning  in  reading  your 
returns,  in  order  that  you  may  know  the  position  of  every  part 
of  your  army,  and  that  you  may  recall  the  portions  which  are 


AUG.  1806.  THE  AEMY.  J  gg 

scattered  right  and  left,  so  as  to  keep  your  troops  together,  for 
otherwise  you  cannot  be  said  to  have  an  army. 

[218.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  16, 1606. 

My  Brother, — I  enclose  to  you  General  Charpentier's  notes 
on  the  formation  of  General  Lemarrois'  corps.  I  have  ordered 
the  1st  brigade,  under  the  command  of  General  Tisson,  to  pro 
ceed  to  Pescara.  I  expect  it  to  arrive  there  by  the  1st  of 
September.  In  this  case,  allow  them  to  rest  for  some  time  at 
Pescara,  and  do  not  oblige  them  to  rejoin  their  divisions,  espe 
cially  those  which  are  in  Calabria,  or  they  will  all  go  to  the 
hospitals.  If,  however,  you  are  in  want  of  them,  as  this  brigade 
is  well  trained  and  in  good  order,  you  may  send  for  them  to 
Naples  ;  but  let  them  take  short  marches ;  keep  them  away  from 
their  regiments,  particularly  from  those  in  Calabria,  till  October. 
As  soon  as  they  have  joined  their  regiments,  take  care  to  send  all 
the  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  back  to  their  depots  in 
the  kingdom  of  Italy,  that  they  may  superintend  the  training  and 
clothing  of  the  conscripts  whom  I  shall  send  to  them.  Success 
in  war  is  not  obtained  by  having  a  great  many  troops,  but  by 
their  being  well  organised  and  well  disciplined.  You  must  see 
how  much  you  gain  by  my  sending  you  in  this  manner  a  body  of 
5000  men,  who  form  a  reserve  even  before  they  are  incorporated, 
instead  of  sending  them  to  you  in  small  detachments,  which  would 
only  have  filled  your  hospitals. 

I  do  not  yet  put  the  2nd  half-brigade  at  your  disposal,  because 
I  must  hold  the  Roman  States  in  check,  and  I  have  no  other 
troops  to  send  thither ;  for  the  depots,  as  you  will  see  by  the 
returns  which  I  enclose,  contain  only  men  unfit  for  service.  Above 
all,  I  beg  you  to  send  back  to  the  depots  all  the  officers  and  non 
commissioned  officers,  for  I  intend  your  14  depots  to  form  for  me 
a  reserve  of  14,000  men,  to  be  employed  in  reinforcing  your 
regiments,  or  otherwise,  according  to  circumstances.  By  this 
means,  when  your  regiments  are  all  completed  on  a  war  footing, 
your  army  will  consist  of  45,000  men  fit  for  action.  You  must 
see  that,  if  I  paid  less  attention  to  my  army,  large  as  it  is,  it 


190  NAPLES.— A  EEVOLT  DESIKABLE.  CHAP.  YIL 

would  not  be  sufficient  for  my  wants.  You  have  just  now  a  great 
number  of  invalids  ;  they  will  all  leave  the  hospitals  in  October. 
Take  care  of  your  arms ;  they  are  not  abundant  even  in  France. 
Form  your  Neapolitan  regiments  by  degrees.  You  want  good 
soldiers,  and  not  troops  that  will  revolt  or  run.  You  see  that  I 
am  in  no  hurry  for  my  Italian  army ;  I  have  as  yet  formed  only 
its  nucleus.  It  is  true  that  I  have  in  France  three  excellent  and 
well-trained  Italian  regiments ;  but  still  they  are  not  equal  to 
your  old  French  regiments. 


[219.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambouillet,  Aug.  IT,  1806. 

My  Brother, — No  one  speaks  ill  of  General  Mathieu  Dumas* 
to  me ;  and  since  you  do  not  suppose  him  to  be  a  great  warrior, 
I  agree  with  you  in  your  estimate  of  his  integrity  and  good 
character.  All  I  feared  was,  that  you  relied  on  his  military 
talents.  Thus  with  a  word  of  explanation  you  have  reconciled 
me  to  him.  I  should  like  very  much  to  hear  of  a  revolt  of  the 
Neapolitan  populace.  You  will  never  be  their  master  till  you 
have  made  an  example  of  them.  Every  conquered  country  must 
have  its  revolt.  I  should  see  Naples  in  revolt  as  a  father  sees  his 
children  in  the  small-pox ;  the  crisis  is  salutary,  provided  it  does 
not  too  much  weaken  the  constitution.  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
your  forts  should  be  armed  and  provisioned.  The  part  of  your 
kingdom  which  is  nearest  to  attaining  a  state  of  tranquillity,  if 
you  would  but  execute  strict  justice,  is  Calabria. 

I  am  spending  a  week  at  Rambouillet.  I  urge  the  conscrip 
tion  in  every  direction,  and  send  nearly  half  the  conscripts  to 
my  depots  for  the  armies  of  Naples  and  Italy.  Take  care  of 
your  muskets :  before  the  end  of  November  4000  or  5000  men 
will  come  out  of  your  hospitals ;  and  if  their  regiments  have 
not  paid  proper  attention  to  their  muskets  you  will  experience 

*  Joseph,  who  was  always  faithful  to  his  friends,  in  answer  to  Napoleon's 
sneers  respecting  General  Dumas,  said  that  Dumas  was  abused  to  the  Em 
peror  because  he  was  an  honest  man,  but  admitted  that  he  was  not  a  great 
general. — TR. 


AUG.  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  191 

a  great  scarcity  of  them.  The  negotiations  with  England  con 
tinue  to  languish.  I  can  tell  you  no  more  about  them  than  you 
will  see  in  the  '  Moniteur.'  Lord  Yarmouth  is  recalled,  and 
Lord  Lauderdale  remains  in  sole  charge ;  but  they  have  already 
gone  beyond  the  question  of  Sicily,*  for  upon  that  point  I  would 
listen  to  no  compromise.  Whether  the  result  be  peace  or  war, 
Naples  and  Sicily  shall  be  yours. 

[220.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambouillet,  Aug.  18, 1S06. 

My  Brother, — The  1st  regiment  of  the  line,  one  of  the  best 
in  the  army,  is  at  Pescara,  where  it  is  of  no  use ;  call  it  to 
Naples  without  delay.  Since  it  is  already  inured  to  the  climate, 
it  is  better  that  this  regiment  should  march  the  distance  from 
Pescara  to  Naples  than  the  4  battalions  of  the  brigade  of  General 
Tisson.  If,  however,  circumstances  should  oblige  you  to  move 
General  Tisson's  brigade  to  Naples,  I  shall  order  the  brigade  of 
General  Laplanche  Mortieres,  also  consisting  of  4  battalions, 
which  I  am  now  sending  to  Ancona,  to  proceed  to  Pescara.  See 
what  it  is  to  distribute  troops  properly,  and  consider  the  good 
which  the  1st  regiment  might  have  done  in  the  direction  of 
Cosenza.  Certainly  it  is  of  very  doubtful  utility  at  Pescara.  The 
division  in  the  Abruzzi  has  had  no  pay  for  five  months. 


[221.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Kambouillet,  Aug.  20, 1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  have  authorised  Generals  Dedon  and  Cam- 
prcdon  to  enter  your  service.  These  are  two  good  selections. 
As  to  Roederer,  I  do  not  think  him  a  great  financier ;  I  believe 
that  you  have  too  much  confidence  in  him.  He  is  too  restless  to 
be  a  good  administrator,  and  perhaps,  indeed,  to  be  steady  in  his 
attachments.  Take  him,  but  remember  that  I  have  warned  you. 

*  This  was  not  exactly  true.  The  utmost  concession  made  by  the 
English  negotiators  was,  to  admit  that  the  question  of  Sicily  might  be  con 
sidered,  provided  an  equivalent  were  offered  to  the  King  of  Sicily  and  volun 
tarily  accepted  by  him. — Tr?. 


192  NAPLES.— DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  CHAP.  VIL 

I  believe  that  you  will  repent.  You  are  a  young  man,  and  nature 
has  made  you  too  kind ;  we  must  not  always  judge  by  our  im 
pressions,  but  look  to  what  men  have  already  done;  however, 
I  will  say  no  more,  because  it  is  come  to  my  knowledge  that  my 
letters  have  been  seen  by  several  persons.  What  I  tell  you  is 
certain ;  my  letters  have  been  quoted  in  Paris,  and  I  have  recog 
nised  my  own  expressions ;  as  you  write  to  me  with  your  own 
hand,  no  other  person  ought  to  read  my  letters — you  should  keep 
them  under  lock  and  key.  You  are  justly  reproached  with  talk 
ing  too  much  of  your  affairs,  and  to  too  many  people.  Dedon  is 
an  honest  man,  and  so  is  Campredon.  I  fancy  that  you  are  sure 
of  their  consent.  You  may  state  generally  that  I  shall  see  with 
pleasure  the  officers  of  my  troops  enter  your  service,  and  that 
their  places  will  be  restored  to  them  if  they  should  be  forced  to 
leave  you.  It  would  be  well  if  you  could  attach  Massena ;  for 
though  he  has  not  great  military  talents,  you  may  want  him  as  a 
man  of  energy. 

[222.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambouillet,  Aug.  20, 1806. 

My  Brother, — The  Minister  of  War  has  sent  me  a  return, 
received  from  the  chief  of  your  staff,  of  the  new  organisation  of 
the  army  of  Naples.  I  perceive  that  there  is  only  one  of  the 
battalions  of  the  14th  regiment  of  light  infantry  in  Calabria ;  so 
much  the  worse ;  bring  the  two  together,  never  separate  your 
battalions  if  it  can  be  avoided.  I  see  that  you  keep  in  Calabria 
the  1st  light  infantry,  and  the  42nd ;  *  this  is  wrong ;  you 
should  recall  them  to  Naples,  encourage  them  yourself,  and  take 
particular  care  of  them.  Polish  infantry  i?  not  suited  to  such 
severe  mountain  expeditions ;  bring  it  back  and  station  it  at 
Naples,  or  at  Taranto,  or  in  the  Abruzzi.  I  observe  with  regret 
that  the  light  cavalry  and  the  dragoons  have  been  mixed :  they 
are  not  the  same  arm.  Moreover,  a  regiment  of  dragoons  thus 
isolated  can  do  nothing;  assembled  in  bodies  of  2000  men,  and 

*  These  were  the  regiments  that  first  turned  their  backs  and  fled  at  Maida 
and  probably  suffered  the  most. — TR. 


ATTG  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS.  JQg 

capable,  as  they  are,  of  manoeuvring  well  on  foot,  they  would  be 
very  useful  to  you.  To  find  the  1st  regiment  of  the  line  in  the 
Abruzzi  is  enough  to  make  one  swear.  It  is  one  of  your  best  regi 
ments.  The  24th  dragoons  are  also  useless  there.  The  1st  bat 
talion  of  the  3rd  Italian  regiment  of  the  line,  and  the  royal 
Italian  chasseurs,  would  be  sufficient  there.  The  5th  Italian 
regiment  of  the  line,  and  the  Neapolitan  dragoons  are  enough  for 
Puglia.  You  can  withdraw  the  6th  chasseurs  from  the  vicinity 
of  Naples.  You  will  find  annexed  the  distribution  which  I  make 
of  your  army,  in  order  to  threaten  Sicily  and  to  be  prepared  for 
everything.  Besides  the  5000  men  whom  I  send  to  you  from 
your  depots,  the  battalions  of  the  regiment  of  Latour  d'Auvergne, 
which  is  on  its  way  to  Gaeta,  the  Polish  lancers,  and  tLi  Swiss 
battalion,  which  has  reached  Pescara  from  Ancona,  you  will  soon 
receive  the  2nd  and  3rd  battalions  of  the  regiment  of  Latour 
d'Auvergne,  consisting  of  1000  men  each,  which  are  at  present  at 
Genoa,  as  well  as  the  Swiss  battalion,  which  is  in  Corsica,  and  which 
is  to  land  at  Piombino,  to  proceed  from  thence  to  Civita  Yecchia. 
When  once  the  army  is  thus  placed,  not  one  disembarkation  will 
be  effected  in  Calabria,  and  you  will  be  able  to  do  what  is  most 
important,  to  punish  the  brigands  severely.  You  will  do  well, 
when  you  put  the  Poles  into  Naples,  to  place  there  General  Dom- 
browski,  which  will  give  you  a  greater  hold  upon  them.  You  are 
not  in  want  of  generals,  but  one  brigadier  is  sufficient  in  the 
Abruzzi ;  his  first  duty  is  to  guard  Pescara,  and  to  collect  there 
ammunition  and  victuals  for  a  month.  It  would,  however,  be  as 
easy  to  succour  Pescara  from  Ancona  or  Rimini  as  from  Naples. 
I  have  given  orders  to  this  effect  to  Lemarrois.  The  general  in 
command  at  Pescara  must  correspond  with  him  by  signals,  and  by 
small  posts  of  cavalry  keeping  up  a  constant  communication.  At 
present  everything  depends  upon  Calabria :  all  the  world  should 
see  that  you  are  established  there  in  a  manner  not  to  be  shaken. 
This  will  encourage  the  army,  will  exercise  an  influence  upon 
Sicily,  and  even  upon  the  course  of  negotiations.  Put  the  Corsican 
legion  under  a  Corsican. 


VOL.  I.— £ 


194 


DISTEIBUTION  OP  THE  CHAP.  VII 


PLAN   FOR    THE    DISTRIBUTION     OF    THE    ARMY   OF    NAPLES 

BY    THE    EMPEROR. 

Advanced  guard  of  the  army  of  Sicily  : — 

First  division — General  Reynier,  Commander. 

The  14th  and  23rd  light  infantry,  the  29th  and  52nd  of  the 
line,  and  the  6th  chasseurs. 

Second  division — General  Yerdier,  Commander. 

The  Corsican  legion,  the  22nd  light  infantry,  the  10th  and 
20th  of  the  line,  and  the  4th  chasseurs. 

Third  division — reserve — General  Gardanne,  Commander. 

The  1st  Neapolitan  light  infantry,  the  101st  and  102nd  of 
the  line,  and  the  14th  chasseurs. 

These  three  divisions  under  the  order  of  a  marshal. 
The  first  placed  at  Reggio,  and  from  St.  Euphemia  as  far  as 
the  port  of  Catanzaro. 

The  second  at  Cosenza  and  beyond  Cotrona. 

The  third  at  Cassano  as  far  as  the  borders  of  Calabria. 

Reserve  of  dragoons — General  Merinet,  Commander. 

The  7th,  23rd,  24th,  28th,  29th,  and  30th,  forming  three 
brigades,  each  commanded  by  a  general  of  division,  placed 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  ground  as  far  as  the  bor 
ders  of  Calabria,  each  brigade  having  2  guns  and  a  de 
tachment  of  light  infantry.  For  this  purpose  the  battalion 
of  the  32nd  light  infantry  is  to  be  put  at  the  disposal  of 
the  commander  of  the  reserve. 

All  the  dismounted  dragoons  at  Naples  or  anywhere  else  are 
to  rejoin.  Care  must  be  taken  that  all  the  dragoons  have  their 
arms  and  50  cartridges,  and  that  the  farriers  have  their  utensils, 
and  that  the  men  are  frequently  exercised  on  foot. 


Atro.  1306.  ARMY  OF  NAPLES.  1Q5 

By  means  of  tl  ese  dispositions  the  advance  of  the  2000  or 
3000  dragoons  might  reach  Cassano  by  a  forced  march  of  a  day 
and  a  half,  and  the  brigades  in  echelons  would  arrive  with  8  hours 
interval  between  each.  If  they  retreated  they  could  march  on 
Salerno  and  Naples ;  moving  to  the  right,  they  would  reach  the 
coast  and  destroy  any  troops  that  attempted  to  land.  Lastly,  if 
required,  by  moving  to  the  right  they  would  occupy  Matera  and 
Puglia. 

At  Salerno  would  be  placed  a  division  under  the  orders  of 
General  Girardon,  composed  of  the  6th  and  62nd  of  the  line, 
the  2nd  Italian  infantry,  and  the  guard  both  horse  and  foot. 
This  corps  must  be  placed  so  as  to  be  able  to  unite  and 
manoeuvre. 

Two  hours  distance  from  Naples  should  be  placed  another 
division  under  the  orders  of  General  Espagne,  composed  of  the 
1st  and  42d  of  the  line,  and  the  1st  light  infantry.  A  good 
position  must  be  chosen,  and,  if  there  be  wood,  they  may  be 
encamped. 

In  Naples  should  be  placed  the  Poles,  the  1st  Neapolitan 
regiment,  the  Swiss  battalion  which  is  now  in  Calabria,  those 
which  are  to  come  from  Ancona  and  Corsica  (in  order  that  all 
that  regiment  may  be  reorganised),  and  the  9th  and  25th 
chasseurs. 

At  Gaeta  should  be  placed  the  black  pioneers  and  the  batta 
lion  of  the  Tour  d'Auvergne :  in  the  neighbourhood  the  Polish 
Uhlans. 

At  Pescara  and  in  the  Abruzzi  the  3rd  Italian  regiment  of 
the  line  and  the  Royal  Italian  chasseurs. 

In  Puglia  the  5th  Italian  regiment  of  the  line,  the  Napoleon 
dragoons,  and  the  1st  regiment  of  Neapolitan  chasseurs. 

A  communication  should  be  established  between  Taranto  and 
Cassano.  The  general  depot  of  the  army  should  be  at  Capua  : 
each  regiment  should  send  thither  a  captain,  2  lieutenants,  and 


All  the  sick,  on  quitting  the  hospitals,  should  join  there ;  14 
quarters  must  be  assigned  to  the  14  regiments  respectively.  The 
sick  will  rest  there  a  fortnight ;  they  will  rejoin  the  army  only 


]  96  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  CIIAP.  VH, 

by  datachments  of  100,  so  that  there  may  be  no  unembodied  men 
on  the  roads,  and  that  men  may  not  get  to  the  end  of  Calabria, 
ill-clothed,  unarmed,  and  half  sick.  Each  detachment  will  be 
conducted  by  an  officer,  and  his  route  will  be  given  by  the 
staff.  They  will  be  supplied  with  wine  and  white  bread,  follow 
ing  my  example  on  the  Adda,  so  that  no  man  will  be  assassinated 
or  endangered. 

The  army  will  communicate  with  the  depots  in  Italy  by  way 
of  Capua. 

REMARKS. 

This  disposition  of  the  army  of  Naples  sh;ws  that  there 
are  rather  too  many  troops  by  one-third  than  too  few.  The 
enemy  landing  with  even  30,000  men  would  not  land  with 
impunity. 

The  King  should  never  sleep  in  Naples  till  the  peace.  His 
right  position  seems  to  be  Sarlerno.  If  he  were  to  reside  even  at 
Caserto  or  at  Portici,  Naples  would  be  easily  kept  quiet  by  2 
pieces  of  cannon  and  a  regiment  of  cavalry.  The  general  who 
commands  in  the  Terra  di  Lavoro  must  correspond  by  pickets 
with  General  Duhesme,  in  order  to  have  his  assistance  if  neces 
sary.  For  the  same  purpose  the  general  who  commands  in  the 
Abruzzi  and  at  Pescara  must  communicate  with  Ancona  by 
pickets  and  signals.  If  an  English  squadron  were  to  present 
itself  before  Naples,  and  to  attempt  a  bombardment,  an  attack 
on  the  forts,  or  an  insurrection,  the  Swiss  and  Neapolitan  troops 
would  be  immediately  assisted  by  the  division  encamped  at  2 
hours  distance ;  24  hours  after,  all  the  camp  from  Salerno  might 
be  there,  and  the  reserve  of  dragoons  might  arrive  during  the 
night.  At  the  same  time  all  the  cavalry  in  G-aeta  and  the  part 
of  the  garrison  which  can  be  spared  would  set  out.  At  Capua 
would  be  immediately  found  3000  cavalry,  4000  men  belonging 
to  different  troops,  and  6  good  French  regiments  of  infantry, 
making  altogether  more  than  15,000  men.  Lastly,  if  the  attack 
appeared  to  be  serious,  the  reserve  itself  of  the  army  of  Sicily 
might  set  out  from  Cassano,  and  in  6  or  I  days  of  good  marching 


AUG.  1806.  AEMY  OF  NAPLES.  ^97 

might  reinforce  the  army  of  Naples.  But  this  seems  an  impossible 
supposition.  What  enemy  would  be  mad  enough  to  land  in  the 
capital,  not  having  the  forts,  or  between  Salerno  and  Gaeta, 
having  Capua  on  his  left  ?  Would  he  go  to  Taranto  ?  The  re 
serve  from  Cassano  would  be  there  immediately.  All  along  the 
coasts  there  are  small  forts  where  200  men  could  maintain  them 
selves,  as  we  see  in  Reggio  and  Scylla,  where  it  seems  that  a  small 
number  of  men  has  held  out  for  more  than  a  month.  As  to 
Gaeta,  we  must  act  decidedly ;  it  has  this  inconvenience,  that  in 
an  enemy's  hands  it  stops  the  communications  with  Rome.  If 
the  port  will  not  hold  ships  of  war,  the  fortifications  should  be 
demolished,  and  the  guns  carried  to  Capua,  but  the  citadel 
should  be  left,  so  that  400  or  500  men  occupying  it  may  prevent 
the  enemy  from  wishing  to  seize  the  isthmus. 

By  means  of  the  5000  men  who,  when  this  letter  is  received, 
are  entering  Pescara,  each  battalion  on  service  will  have  more 
than  1000  men  effective.  The  Italian  depots  of  dragoons  are 
very  strong;  the  23rd  and  24th  have  more  than  400  men 
respectively.  The  King  of  Naples  may  keep  these  2  regiments, 
but  in  the  winter  it  would  be  proper  to  send  back  the  2  first 
squadrons  belonging  to  the  depot.  This  is  not  pressing  at 
present. 

The  dispositions  which  have  been  sketched  appear  to  have 
other  advantages.  The  knowledge  of  them  will  alarm  the  enemy, 
who  will  see  that  we  are  thinking  seriously  of  Sicily.  The  troops 
will  recover  their  spirits  because  they  will  feel  that  they  are 
strong  and  united.  To  repress  little  partial  insurrections, 
Neapolitans,  Corsicans,  and  Italians  should  be  employed.  In 
such  skirmishes  are  lost  many  good  men  who  ought  to  be  re 
served  for  more  important  purposes.  The  batteries  of  Reggio 
and  Scylla  should  be  repaired,  and  those  points  fortified,  in  order 
that,  if  the  army  should  be  forced  to  fall  back  on  Naples,  they 
may  defend  the  batteries  for  a  long  time. 


198  NAPLES.— DISPEKSION  OF  TROOPS.  CHAP.  VII. 

[223.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Kambouillet,  Aug.  20, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  8th  of 
August,  together  with  a  return  by  which  I  see  that  the  10th  of 
the  line  is  reported  as  having  58  men  out  of  the  government  of 
Naples;  the  52nd  145;  the  101st,  15;  and  the  1st  Neapolitan 
regiment,  668.  You  must  order  them  to  rejoin  in  detachments, 
and  take  the  greatest  care  to  keep  your  regiments  assembled.  In 
a  country  like  Naples  they  would  become  scattered  according  to 
the  fancy  of  the  commandants  of  forts,  and  you  would  no  longer 
have  an  army.  There  is  too  much  infantry  at  Naples,  and  one 
regiment  of  cavalry  is  not  enough.  Pray  what  becomes  of  all 
your  cavalry  ?  I  think  it  likely  that  the  English  may  have  taken 
Reggio  and  Scylla,  and  may  have  fortified  themselves  in  one  of 
them.  It  is  also  possible  that,  when  they  become .  aware  what  is 
the  strength  of  Marshal  Massena,  they  may  collect  their  forces ; 
I  therefore  wish  you  to  have  sufficient  troops  in  echelons  to  go  to 
his  assistance  if  necessary.  When  I  see  that  you  keep  such  a 
fine  regiment  as  the  1st  of  the  line  at  Pescara,  I  think  it  pos 
sible  that  you  may  have  others  lying  idle  towards  Taranto. 
Whatever  you  may  say,  you  have  nearly  40,000  men,  counting 
the  Neapolitans.  You  have  6000  cavalry,  but  they  are  scattered 
and  disorganised,  and  not  placed  as  they  ought  to  be.  It  is  of 
paramount  importance  to  the  success  of  the  negotiations  that  the 
English  should  be  driven  from  Reggio  and  Scylla,  and  that  the 
preparations  for  landing  should  be  recommenced.  Attempts  of 
the  enemy  upon  the  coast  of  Pescara  or  of  Taranto  will  end  in 
nothing :  all  they  can  do  is  to  endeavour  to  defend  the  extremity 
of  Calabria.  You  must  therefore  keep  your  forces  between 
Naples  and  Calabria ;  in  future  this  should  be  your  chief  object. 
I  have  not  yet  received  a  report  on  Gaeta,  nor  a  complete  plan 
from  which  I  may  learn  the  state  of  its  harbour;  however, 
every  thing  will  soon  change  in  your  favour.  Autumn  will  restore 
the  vigour  and  spirits  of  'your  soldiers ;  your  invalids  will  re 
cover;  the  roughness  of  the  sea  will  force  the  English  to  be 
more  careful,  and  will  add  to  the  difficulty  of  their  operations. 


Atm.  1806.  DISPOSAL  OF  TEOOPS. 


199 


Lastly,  I  send  to  you  a  considerable  reinforcement,  since  your 
different  regiments  will  receive  altogether  nearly  5000  men. 

If  you  do  not  establish  as  a  principle  that  the  enemy  will  not 
attack  in  force  any  point  by  the  occupation  of  which  they 
get  nothing,  if  you  insist  upon  guarding  every  point,  you  will  do 
nothing.  Assemble  all  your  dragoons  and  form  them  into  a 
reserve.  Take  pleasure,  if  you  can,  in  reading  your  returns. 
The  good  condition  of  my  armies  is  owing  to  my  devoting  to 
them  2  or  3  hours  in  every  day.  When  the  monthly  returns  of 
my  armies  and  of  my  fleets,  which  form  20  thick  volumes,  are 
sent  to  me,  I  give  up  every  other  occupation  in  order  to  read 
them  in  detail  and  to  observe  the  difference  between  one  monthly 
return  and  another.  No  young  girl  enjoys  her  novel  so  much  as 
I  do  these  returns.  It  shocks  me  to  see  your  corps  scattered  in 
different  provinces.  Your  3rd  and  4th  battalions  are  in  Italy 
well  organised;  your  1st  and  2nd  battalions  ought  to  be  brought 
well  together.  You  should  immediately  issue  an  order  to  the 
different  detachments  to  rejoin  their  regiments.  I  am  im 
patiently  waiting  to  hear  whether  Reggio  and  Scylla  have  been 
able  to  resist  for  so  long  a  time.  I  have  sent  to  you  nearly 
5000  men  from  your  depots.  I  cannot  send  you  as  many  more 
before  the  month  of  February,  if,  indeed,  you  should  require 
them.  I  again  beg  you  to  send  back  the  officers  and  non-com 
missioned  officers  of  the  8  provincial  battalions  which  I  have  sent 
to  you.  Several  battalions  belonging  to  your  depots  in  the 
kingdom  of  Italy  are  without  their  majors.  I  do  not  know  the 
cause  of  this. 

You  have  14  French  regiments ;  choose  from  among  them  4 
of  those  which  are  in  the  best  heart,  and  place  them  between  St. 
Euphemia  and  Reggio ;  place  4  equally  good  regiments  between 
Cosenza  and  Cassano.  Form  these  8  regiments  into  2  divisions ; 
call  them  the  advanced  guard  of  the  army  of  Sicily.  Form  the 
remaining  6  French  regiments  into  2  divisions,  3  regiments  in 
each,  to  be  thus  disposed :  one  division  at  half  a  day's  march 
from  Naples,  and  the  other  at  2  days'  march  from  Naples,  on  the 
road  to  Calabria.  Add  to  each  of  these  divisions  a  regiment  of 
cavalry  and  some  artillery.  Then  bring  together  all  your 


200  PILLAGE  AND  BTJENING  OF  LAUKIA.  CHAP.  VII 

regiments  of  dragoons,  consisting  of  2000  or  3000  men;  place 
them  between  Lagonegro  and  Naples,  forming  them  into  3 
brigades  of  2  regiments  each,  at  one  day's  march  the  one  from 
the  other.  Take  care  that  these  men  are  often  exercised  on  foot. 
With  respect  to  the  garrisons  of  Naples,  of  the  islands,  of  Pes- 
cara,  of  Gaeta,  of  Capua,  and  of  Taranto,  place  there  your  Poles, 
the  Italians,  the  Neapolitans,  the  Corsicans,  and  the  Swiss.  The 
auxiliary  troops  whom  you  have  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
Taranto  may,  if  necessary,  be  directed  on  Gassano,  and  in  the 
same  way  those  who  are  at  Cassano  may  go  to  Taranto.  As  soon 
as  your  troops  are  collected  they  will  believe  in  their  own 
strength.  That  belief  will  spread  throughout  the  kingdom  and 
will  have  more  influence  than  even  the  appearance  of  the  troops. 
What  is  wanted  for  our  general  policy  is,  that  you  should  be 
master  of  Reggio  and  of  Scylla  as  soon  as  possible.  I  think  that 
the  1st  light  infantry  and  the  42nd  should  return  towards  Naples. 


[224.}  NAPOLEON  TO  JO&EPH. 

Eambouillet,  Aug.  21, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  12th  of 
August,  containing  the  details  of  the  capture  and  pillage  of  the 
town  of  Lauria.*  Be  sure  to  order  that  all  the  rebellious 
villages  near  Euphemia  experience  the  same  fate ;  and  above  all 
seize  the  chiefs.  In  the  official  report  circulated  by  the  English 
on  the  Continent  they  assert  that  they  were  but  5000  against 
General  Reynier.  If  this  be  true,  it  is  very  extraordinary, 
and  shows  what  sort  of  troops  the  French  are,  and  how  much 
they  require  to  be  well  led,  supported,  and  encouraged.  All 
the  depots  in  Italy  send  to  the  battalions  in  the  field  their 
disposable  clothing;  I  have  written  to  tell  you  to  make  a  depot 
for  it  at  Capua.  Send  thither  all  the  clothing;  much  of  it 
requires  to  be  made  up.  I  enclose  you  a  statement  of  what 
has  already  been  sent,  and  of  the  stock  of  linen,  shoes,  and 
stockings. 

*  The  town  was  "burnt,  and  the  inhabitants  were  shot  as  they  were  trying 
to  escape  the  flames. — TR. 


A.TTG.  1806.  NEAPOLITAN  ATTEMPTS  IN  CALABEIA,  201 

Pescara  appears  to  be  in  the  worst  possible  state ;  send  thither 
an  artillery  officer,  with  a  small  sum  of  money,  to  repair  the  gun- 
carriages,  and  to  re-establish  a  sufficient  number  of  batteries  to 
arm  the  bastions,  and  to  ensure  the  place  from  being  carried  by 
assault.  It  seems  that  Reggio  surrendered  on  the  10th  of  July. 
The  battle  of  St.  Euphemia  took  place  on  the  4th,  consequently 
Reggio  surrendered  6  days  afterwards.  I  cannot  imagine  how 
troops  can  have  been  left  in  a  post  so  defenceless — for  the  enemy 
did  not  even  batter  it. 


[  225.] — EXTRACT  from  a  letter  from  JOSEPH  to  NAPOLEON,  dated  the  13th 
August,  1806. 

"  I  remain  here  till  your  Majesty's  birthday,  on  which  I  wish 
you  joy.  I  hope  that  you  may  receive  with  some  little  pleasure 
this  expression  of  my  affection.  The  glorious  Emperor  will 
never  replace  to'me  the  Napoleone  whom  I  so  much  loved,  and 
whom  I  hope  to  find  again,  as  I  knew  him  20  years  ago,  if  we  are 
to  meet  in  the  Elysian  Fields."* 

[226.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambouillet,  Aug.  23, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  13th  of 
August.  I  am  sorry  that  you  think  that  you  will  find  your 
brother  again  only  in  the  Elysian  Fields.  It  is  natural  that  at 
40  he  should  not  feel  towards  you  as  he  did  at  12 ;  but  his  feel 
ings  towards  you  have  greater  truth  and  strength ;  his  friendship 
has  the  features  of  his  mind. 

These  disembarkments  of  Neapolitan  troops  in  Calabria  are 
of  no  consequence.  They  are  feeble  attempts,  and  the  cool 
season,  which  is  approaching,  will  enable  my  troops  to  treat  the 
invaders  as  they  deserve,  and  to  pursue  them  in  every  direction. 

The  brigade  of  General  Tisson  ought  to  have  arrived  at  Pes 
cara.  You  have  a  right  to  dispose  of  it  as  you  think  fit,  as  it  is 

*  This  extract  is  introduced  in  order  to  make  the  ne>:t  letter  intelligible. 
— TR. 

VOL.  I.— 9* 


202  TREATY  WITH  EUSSIA.  CHAP.  VIL 

on  the  territory  occupied  by  your  army.  You  may  either  dismiss 
or  retain  General  Tisson ;  but  send  back  the  officers  and  non 
commissioned  officers  of  the  battalions  as  soon  as  the  men  have 
joined  their  different  regiments. 

The  brigade  of  General  Laplanche  Mortieres  is  also  on  its 
way  to  Naples.  You  must  have  received  the  Swiss  battalion 
which  was  at  Ancona,  and  that  of  Latour  d'Auvergne  which 
was  at  Civita  Yecchia.  The  2nd  battalion  of  Latour  d'Au 
vergne  is  on  its  way,  as  well  as  another  Swiss  battalion  from 
Corsica;  thus  in  September  and  October  the  number  of  your 
troops  present  under  arms  will  be  increased  to  more  than  45,000. 
I  have  raised  50,000  men  in  France,  and  I  shall  divide  half  of 
them  between  your  depots  and  those  of  the  army  of  Dalmatia. 

[227.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  27, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  18th  of 
August.*  I  have  sent  no  generals  to  your  army.  I  do  not 
know  what  you  mean  when  you  mention  General  Marchand. 
You  may  send  back  as  many  generals  and  officers  as  you  like ; 
it  will  diminish  your  expense,  and  give  me  pleasure. 

The  treaty  with  Russia  was  to  be  ratified  on  the  15th.  I 
hear  that  the  ratifications  are  soon  to  be  exchanged.  I  tell  you 
this,  because  doubts  have  been  expressed  as  to  the  ratification. 
You  must  not,  however,  make  it  public.  The  English  appear 
to  be  much  divided  as  to  peace ;  they  have  shown  great  contempt 
for  King  Ferdinand  and  Queen  Caroline.  Sicily  seems  to  be 
yielded,  but  there  are  other  obstacles  which  render  doubtful  the 
issue  of  the  negotiations. 


[  228.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  28,  1806. 

My  Brother, — "  Le  Veteran,"  commanded  by  Jerome, 
anchored  two  days  ago  in  the  bay  of  Laforet  near  Quimper :  she 
was  separated  from  her  squadron  25  days  ago  by  a  storm.  This 

*  Joseph  said  that  he  heard  that  General  Marchand  was  coming  to  him, 
and  added  that  he  had  already  more  generals  than  he  wanted. — TR. 


AUG.  1806.  JOSEPH'S  GUARD.  203 

news  came  by  the  telegraph,  which  at  the  same  time  tells  me  that 
Jerome  is  well :  as  yet  there  are  no  further  details.* 


[  229.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  29, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  19th  of 
August.  It  is  very  important  that  you  should  send  to  my 
Minister  of  War  a  return  of  the  officers,  noncommissioned 
officers,  and  soldiers,  whom  you  have  taken  from  the  different 
regiments  of  the  army  of  Naples  to  form  your  guard.  You 
must  not  pay  your  guard  as  highly  as  I  do  mi^e ;  it  is  an  un 
necessary  expense.  In  forming  and  paying  my  guard,  my  object 
is  to  furnish  rewards  for  from  5000  to  6000  men  out  of  my 
numerous  army.  Your  guard  is  created  for  a  different  purpose. 
Treat  your  guard  a  little  better  than  the  troops  of  the  line,  but 
not  much  better.  I  certainly  had  rather  that  you  should  arm 
only  between  12,000  and  15,000  of  the  militia  of  Naples,  than 
50,000.  It  is  for  you  to  decide  upon  your  own  affairs;  but  you 
should  never  lose  sight  of  this :  If  we  were  defeated  on  the 
Isonzo,  and  the  enemy  were  in  Milan,  which  side  would  these 
men  take  ? 

Your  Swiss  regiment  will  soon  receive  many  recruits. 
Place  their  depot  in  Capua;  they  will  be  joined  by  the  bat 
talion  which  is  in  Corsica.  The  battalion  in  the  island  of  Elba 
will  also  join  immediately.  In  consequence  of  the  precautions 
which  have  been  taken,  that  regiment  will  soon  consist  of 
4000  men. 

I  rejoice  at  the  arrival  of  the  fine  season ;  it  will  invigorate 
your  troops  and  cure  your  invalids.  The  negotiations  get  on 
slowly ;  their  issue  is  doubtful. 

*  The  entrance  of  this  vessel  into  the  small  port  of  Concarneau,  near 
Quimper,  by  a  dangerous  channel,  to  escape  Admiral  Keith's  squadron,  is  one 
of  the  exploits  of  the  French  navy. — ED. 


204  NAPLES.— JOSEPH'S  GUAED.  CHAP.  VIL 

[  230.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Aug.  29, 1800. 

My  Brother,, — In  order  to  put  an  end  to  all  discussion,  I 
have  published  a  decree  fixing  what  each  regiment  is  to  furnish 
for  your  guard.  In  this  way  no  regiment  will  be  too  much 
weakened. 

[231.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  30, 1SOG. 

My  Brother, — The  French  garrison  of  Reggio,  composed  of 
680  men,  has  just  arrived  at  Genoa.  'I  have  ordered  every  de 
tachment  to  join  its  depot  in  the  kingdom  of  Italy.  You  had 
better  exchange  them  as  soon  as  possible  for  an  equal  number  of 
the  garrison  of  Gaeta ;  you  ought  to  have  a  list  of  the  names  of 
the  men  belonging  to  that  garrison.  Make  your  Minister  of  War 
write  to  the  Neapolitan  commandant  that  such  and  such  men  be 
longing  to  the  garrison  of  Reggio  are  exchanged  for  such  and 
such  men  belonging  to  the  garrison  of  Gaeta.  I  know  that  the 
garrison  of  Scylla  has  arrived  at  La  Ciotat;  you  will  do  the 
same  with  regard  to  the  men  composing  that  garrison. 

[232.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  30, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter.  I  need  not  tell 
you  of  what  importance  it  is  to  obtain  immediate  possession  of 
Reggio  and  of  Scylla.  Every  day's  delay  is  an  evil,  for  the 
enemy  will  turn  them  into  fortresses,  which  it  will  be  difficult 
for  us  to  take.  The  heat  will  soon  diminish,  the  dog-days  are 
nearly  over,  and  your  sick  will  get  well.  Nevertheless,  I  have 
just  ordered  a  corps  of  600  dragoons  to  be  formed ;  they  are  to 
be  taken  from  the  depots  of  your  6  regiments  which  are  in  Italy, 
100  from  each ;  you  will  receive  them  towards  the  end  of  Sep 
tember,  completely  armed  and  equipped.  They  will  repair  the 
losses  in  your  dragoon  regiments.  Although  they  are  weak  in 
number,  do  not  fail  to  carry  out  my  plan  of  forming  them  into 
one  body ;  you  will  thus  have  in  hand  a  reserve  of  cavalry,  and 


SEPT.  1806.  STRENGTH  OF  DEAGOON  EEGIMENTS.  205 

also  of  infantry.  But  no  time  should  be  lost :  let  Reynier  return 
to  seize  Reggio  and  Scylla. 

Send  me  returns  of  your  troops  every  fortnight.  Up  to  the 
present  time  your  returns  have  been  very  ill  prepared.  It  is  of 
great  consequence  that  I  should  thoroughly  understand  the  state 
and  position  of  your  army. 

I  have  advised  you  to  establish  a  great  depot  of  convalescents 
at  Capua,  and  to  send  thither  the  depots  of  all  your  regiments. 
This  is  of  great  importance,  and  will  save  you  a  great  many  men. 
Do  not  allow  your  soldiers  to  proceed  singly  to  Cak^ria.  Order 
all  the  men  on  leaving  the  hospitals  to  go  to  the  great  depot  at 
Capua,  and,  after  having  rested  there  for  15  or  20  days,  let  them 
be  clothed,  armed,  and  sent  in  detachments  of  100  men,  under 
the  command  of  an  officer,  to  join  their  regiments.  I  have  given 
a  company  and  the  Legion  of  Honour  to  the  Italian  lieutenant 
who  behaved  so  well  in  the  islands  of  Tremiti.  From  the  last 
return  of  your  army,  it  appears  that  the  strength  of  your  dragoon 
regiments  was  as  follows: — the  23rd,  518  men;  the  29th,  473 
men;  the  24th,  511  men;  the  28th,  773  men;  the  7th,  427  men; 
the  30th,  425  men;  in  all,  3127.  I  can  hardly  believe  what  you 
tell  me,  that  they  are  reduced  to  1800  men.  You  must  then 
have  1200  sick.  The  fact  is,  that  several  of  these  regiments 
must  be  scattered.  You  should  assemble  the  detachments. 


[  233.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bt  Cloud,  Sept  2, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  22nd  of 
August.  General  Campredon  has  entered  your  service,  and  is 
about  to  join  you.  I  see  that  your  two  engineers  incline  towards 
Capua.  I  am  not  opposed  to  this  idea;  but  I  think  that  they 
decide  this  question  too  easily.  I  do  not  consider  the  vicinity 
of  Naples  as  an  inconvenience.  I  do  not  admit  that  that  huge 
capital  would  confine  you.  On  the  contrary,  jou  would  keep  it 
in  check,  and  have  a  harbour  within  your  defences. 

These  are  the  three  chief  objects  to  be  held  in  view,  in  order 
that  the  great  fortress  which  I  wish  to  establish  may  be  as  useful 
as  possible.  1st,  to  command  the  capital,  so  that  no  one  may  be 


206  NAPLES.— PKOPOSED  FORTRESSES.  CHAP.  VII. 

its  master  unless  he  be  also  master  of  the  fortress;  2ndly,  to 
contain  all  the  arsenals  and  the  magazines  belonging  to  the  army ; 
Srdly,  to  contain  the  arsenals  and  the  ships  of  the  Neapolitan 
navy.  The  fortress  of  Capua  has  only  one  of  these  advantages ; 
it  can  have  no  influence  on  Naples,  which  is  out  of  the  reach  of 
its  fire,  and  as  it  is  not  a  seaport  it  cannot  contain  the  naval 
arsenals ;  it  can  therefore  hold  ^  nly  the  military  stores.  To 
possess  the  three  requisites,  the  fortress  must  be  situated  within 
range  of  the  heart  of  Naples,  and  must  surround  the  harbour. 
A  fortress  placed  at  Castellamare  would  not  command  Naples, 
but  it  would  possess  the  other  two  advantages;  that  is  .o  say,  it 
might  contain  the  military  and  marine  arsenals.  It  would  do 
this  as  well  at  Gaeta,  if  the  harbour  can  contain  men-of-war.  I 
wish  this  fortress  to  be  on  the  sea,  because  I  may  not  be  destined 
to  be  always  inferior  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  because,  even  if 
such  be  the  case,  it  is  impossible  to  prevent  a  maritime  fortress 
from  being  revictualled  in  winter.  I  revictualled  Malta ;  and  if 
it  had  been  besieged  in  the  12th  year  of  the  republic  instead  of 
during  the  absurd  government  of  the  year  7  and  the  calamities 
of  the  year  8,  it  would  never  have  surrendered  for  want  of  pro 
visions,  still  less  woNild  a  place  as  near  to  Corsica  and  Toulon  as 
Gaeta,  Naples,  or  Castellamare.  It  is  ridiculous  in  an  engineer 
to  say  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  victual  Gaeta.  I  am  not  aware 
that  there  exists  in  the  world  a  river  larger  or  more  navigable 
than  the  sea ;  but  if  frigates  cannot  enter  Gaeta,  this  point  offers 
no  advantages,  and  you  must  look  about  the  coast  for  some  point 
where  a  harbour  may  be  easily  constructed,  if  there  be  none 
already,  and  where  there  is  water  for  6  or  7  ships  of  the  line. 
As  to  the  expense,  the  kingdom  of  Naples  is  rich  enough  to  allow 
you  to  employ  in  this  manner  6  millions  a  year  for  ten  years ; 
you  would  thus  have  a  place,  like  Strasbourg,  Alexandria,  &c., 
capable  of  a  long  resistance,  and  to  be  attacked  only  by  a  large 
army  with  immense  supplies. 

The  engineers  whom  you  have  consulted  have  not  sufficiently 
extensive  ideas;  let  them  , draw  a  map  of  the  ground  round  the 
fortress  of  St.  Elmo  and  between  Mount  Vesuvius  and  Naples. 
Tell  them  to  describe  on  these  two  points  a  circle  3200  yards  in 


SEPT.  1806.  PEOPOSED  FOETEESSES.  207 

diameter,  which  may  reach  the  sea  at  one  end  and  the  town  at  the 
other,  so  that  the  advanced  works  may  be  at  a  distance  of  800 
yards  from  the  houses,  and  desire  them  to  let  me  know,  not  by 
arguments  or  profound  combinations,  but  by  calculations  belong 
ing  to  the  art  of  engineering,  the  objections  to  each  plan.  Desire 
another  engineer  officer  to  examine  Castellamare  and  all  the  penin 
sula  of  which  the  isthmus  is  the  land  lying  between  Amain  and 
Castellamare.  By  constructing  a  fortress  round  Castellamare 
8000  or  10,000  yards  in  extent,  you  would  always  be  master  of 
the  harbour,  and  your  naval  and  military  stores  would  be  in 
safety  whatever  might  happen.  A  few  forts  erected  at  Cas 
tellamare  and  at  Amalfi  would  enable  you  to  keep  possession  of 
the  peninsula.  You  should  establish  a  good  fort  on  the  island 
of  Capri,  and  these  works,  with  a  garrison  of  16,000  or  20,000 
men,  would  have  several  advantages.  A  long  siege  might  be 
stood  in  this  entrenched  camp,  which,  according  to  my  map, 
would  be  4  leagues  long  and  3  leagues  broad,  without  including 
the  island  of  Capri.  Even  if  the  enemy's  force  were  very  supe 
rior,  still  they  could  not  take  Capri  and  the  forts  defending  the 
isthmus  without  a  vast  quantity  of  ammunition  and  a  great  loss 
of  time.  When  they  had  succeeded  in  this,  they  would  have  to 
take  the  fortress  itself.  It  is  evident  that  years  would  elapse  in 
this  siege,. and  that  the  enemy  would  have  to  sacrifice  immense 
resources  which  might  have  been  otherwise  employed. 

It  may  be  added  that  the  position  of  Castellamare  offers,  to  a 
certain  extent,  the  same  advantages  as  the  vicinity  of  Naples. 
Being  at  a  distance  of  4  leagues  by  sea  from  Naples,  the  trade  of 
that  town  would  always  be  exposed  to  it.  Against  an  enemy 
master  of  the  peninsula  and  of  Capri  the  navigation  of  the  bay 
would  be  difficult ;  it  must  be  impossible,  in  certain  conditions 
of  the  weather,  to  tack  in  so  narrow  a  gulf.  The  fortress  would 
be  within  sight  of  Naples,  and  would  influence  the  town  much- 
better  than  if  it  were  placed  at  Capua.  For  these  reasons,  set 
ting  aside  the  nature  of  the  ground,  with  which  I  am  not  ac 
quainted,  but  judging  only  by  the  geographical  position  and  its 
maritime  situation  at  only  4  leagues  from  Naples,  Castellamare 
would  be  my  choice.  Next  to  Castellamare  I  should  select  Gaeta. 


208  NAPLES.-PEOPOSED  FOBTKESSES.  CHAP.  Vlt 

One  advantage  of  a  maritime  position  is,  that  nearly  half  the  place 
is  beyond  the  reach  of  attack.  If  you  select  Graeta  you  should 
treat  the  existing  fortifications  as  the  citadel,  and  the  fortress 
should  be  established  in  the  isthmus  at  a  distance  of  from  2000 
to  4000  yards  in  advance,  surrounding  it  either  with  good  de 
tached  forts  or  by  lines,  so  that  before  the  garrison  could  be 
reduced  it  would  be  necessary  to  make  three  or  four  sieges,  which, 
as  each  of  them  would  require  thirty  or  forty  days  of  open 
trenches,  would  enable  a  determined  monarch  to  defend  himself 
there  with  the  best  of  his  subjects  during  ei^ht  or  nine  months 
of  continued  siege. 

As  for  attacks  from  the  sea,  they  go  for  nothing :  as  long  as 
the  enemy  wastes  his  powder  in  that  way  there  is  nothing  to  fear. 
Twenty  mortars  of  long  range,  a  few  batteries  of  36-pounders, 
and  some  forts,  which  you  will  always  be  able  to  erect  at  sixty 
or  eighty  yards  from  one  another,  will  soon  disgust  him.  Let 
Pozzuoli  be  likewise  examined ;  it  is  situated  on  a  bay,  and  only 
two  leagues  from  Naples.  Have  a  report  on  it.  You  might  take 
this  peninsula  and  the  islands  of  Ischia  and  Procida ;  this  would  be 
another  system  of  fortifications,  but  it  should  be  so  arranged  that, 
even  if  the  islands  were  taken,  the  fortress  would  remain  in  its 
full  strength.  A  place  of  depot  for  stores  is  not  like  a  system 
of  fortified  places  for  the  defence  of  a  frontier.  I  do  not  care 
whether  the  depot  is  established  near  Rome,  Sicily,  or  Taranto  • 
nevertheless,  I  should  like  it  to  be  as  near  to  Naples  as  possible. 

In  establishing  this  fortress  what  is  your  object  ?  It  is  to 
render  Naples  independent  of  the  events  in  Upper  Italy.  I  will 
suppose  the  Austrians  recovered  from  their  present  state  of  dejec 
tion  and  reconquering  the  Adige  and  Piedmont;  I  wish  that  this 
should  excite  no  feelings  of  alarm  in  Naples.  If  an  army  much 
stronger  than  that  of  the  King  of  Naples,  and  reinforced  from 
the  sea,  should  oblige  him  to  retire  from  the  field,  he  would  have 
his  plans  and  movements  ready  settled ;  he  would  retreat  into  his 
fortress,  carrying  with  him  his  treasures,  his  archives,  a  few  de 
voted  subjects,  and  some  hostages  taken  from  the  opposite  party. 
If  you  will  only  calculate  the  fearful  amount  of  resources  which 
the  enemy  would  be  obliged  to  collect,  you  will  see  how  difficult 


SEPT.  1SOG.  PEOPOSED  FOETEESSE8.  209 

it  would  be  for  60,000  men  to  obtain  possession  of  the  kingdom 
3f  Naples  though  there  were  no  more  French  in  Italy.  When  the 
kings  of  Naples,  warlike,  as  it  is  the  first  duty  of  a  king  to  be,  have 
a  central  capital;  in  which  they  know  that  they  must  shut  them 
selves  up  and  defend  themselves,  they  will  make  it  strong.  When 
this  takes  place,  when  the  hostile  powers  see  this  system  estab 
lished,  and  the  King  secure  in  its  fortress,  they  will  respect  him ; 
they  will  prefer  peace  to  a  struggle  which  would  weaken  too 
much  the  resources  of  the  allies,  who  will  have  also  to  deal  with 
France.  A  fortress  constructed  for  this  purpose  deserves  the 
expenditure  of  considerable  sums.  Five  millions  of  francs  a 
year  employed,  not  on  what  in  the  engineer's  jargon  are  called 
establishments,  but  in  constructing  half-moons,  would  in  five  years 
make  this  place  formidable. 

After  employing  four  or  five  years  in  this  way  you  will  have 
time  to  build  barracks  and  large  magazines,  the  cost  of  which 
will  not  signify,  as  with  years  and  centuries  everything  becomes 
easy. 

You  ought  to  make  another  fortress  in  Sicily,  at  Messina  or  at 
Faro,  but  I  think  it  would  be  useful  to  begin  immediately  by  the 
fortifications  of  Scylla.  The  300  men  whom  you  left  there  de 
fended  themselves  for  a  fortnight.  If  you  had  taken  the  pre 
caution  of  working  at  the  fortifications  during  four  or  five  months^ 
the  same  men  would  have  held  out  for  three  months.  With 
Scylla  you  are  master  of  the  Straits.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
weaken  your  resources  by  dividing  them  between  Reggio  and 
Scylla.  If  General  Reynier,  instead  of  scattering  his  forces,  had 
had  800  men  at  Scylla  with  his  artillery  and  stores,  he  would 
not  have  lost  them.  Your  other  fortifications  have  no  object; 
not  that  I  think  that  the  little  forts  which  are  there  already,  for 
the  protection  of  a  strait  or  of  an  anchorage,  are  useless,  but 
they  are  only  secondary.  As  long  as  the  enemy  does  not  land 
forces  superior  to  yours,  a  few  small  forts  may  be  of  use  :  he  will 
not  attempt  a  siege  when  he  may  any  day  be  driven  into  the  sea. 
What  is  most  important,  in  my  opinion,  is  a  place  of  depot  to  be 
traced  early  in  the  next  month.  Supposing  the  plan  of  the 
works  to  be  determined  upon  by  that  time,  the  order  in  which 


210  NAPLES.— PROPOSED  FORTRESSES.  CHAP.  VIL 

they  are  executed  is  of  the  greatest  importance.  You  should  have 
a  plan  traced,  and  decide  upon  the  mode  of  its  execution,  and  not 
let  your  engineers  construct  a  fortress  which,  after  ten  years  of 
labour,  will  not  be  strong  enough  to  hold  out  against  a  squadron 
because  it  will  not  be  finished.  I  intend  it  to  be  capable  of  some 
degree  of  resistance  in  1808. 

To  conclude,  I  wish  you  to  fortify  Scylla  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  prevent  the  garrison  of  700  or  800  men  whom  you  have  left 
there,  with  the  batteries  which  command  the  strait,  from  being 
taken  by  storm,  and  to  enable  them  to  hold  out  during  fifteen  or 
twenty  days  of  open  trenches.  I  also  wish  you  to  send  me  some 
notes  upon  Gaeta  and  the  ground  surrounding  it,  on  the  country 
between  Vesuvius,  Naples,  and  Portico,  as  well  as  upon  Castel- 
lamare  and  the  whole  of  that  peninsula.  You  have  four  or  five 
years  in  which  to  execute  these  works.  In  the  mean  time,  so 
arrange  your  affairs  that,  whatever  storms  may  sweep  over  you, 
you  may  not  be  taken  unawares  or  unprepared. 


SEPT.  1806.  RENEWAL  OF  WAE  WITH  KUSSIA. 


211 


CHAPTEK  VIII. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  3rd  of  Sep 
tember,  1806,  to  the  28th  of  July,  1807. 

At  the  date  of  the  first  letter  Napoleon  had  just  received  the 
news  of  the  non-ratification  of  the  Oubril  treaty,  and  therefore 
of  the  renewal  of  the  war  with  Russia. 

At  the  date  of  the  last  he  was  in  Dresden,  returning  from  the 
wonderful  campaign  which  may  be  said  to  have  begun  by  the  bat 
tle  of  Jena  on  the  14th  of  October,  1806,  and  to  have  ended  by 
the  battle  of  Friedland  on  the  14th  of  June,  1807. 


[234.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  3, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  just  received  the  news  that  the  plans  of 
the  cabinet  of  St.  Petersburg  have  been  altered  by  the  change  of 
ministry,  and  that  the  treaty  which  was  concluded  on  the  20th  of 
June  with  M.  d' Oubril  has  not  been  ratified.  You  need  not  com' 
municate  this  intelligence.  You  had  better,  however,  take  pre 
cautions  with  respect  to  Corfu,  to  prevent  your  ships  from  being 
caught  there.  It  is  very  important  that  you  should  soon  be  master 
of  the  whole  of  Calabria.  The  approaching  season  will  increase 
the  dimculty  of  landing  on  your  coast,  and,  by  restoring  the 
health  of  your  invalids,  will  put  a  greater  number  of  troops  at 
your  disposal.  Perhaps,  on  the  whole,  you  will  think  it  better 


£J9!  PROTECTION  OF  PESCARA.  CHAP.  YIII 

to  wait  a  few  days  before  you  announce  this  news.  The  only  rea 
son  alleged  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia  was,  that  he  would  not 
make  peace  without  England. 

The  two  battalions  of  Latour  d'Auvergne  have  already  gone 
beyond  "San-ana,  and  will  soon  join  you.  If  there  are  any  Russian 
ships  in  your  ports  sequester  them. 

You  may  give  orders  at  first  that  means  be  taken  to  prevent 
the  Russian  ships  in  your  harbours  from  clearing  out,  and  delay 
seizing  them  till  the  last  moment,  so  that  the  news  may  reach  the 
Russians  as  late  as  possible.  They  may  not  get  it  for  some  days, 
and  the  delay  of  a  few  days  will  be  useful,  especially  to  my  army 
of  Dalmatia  and  Ragusa.  Keep  it  therefore  to  yourself  to  the 
very  last. 

[235.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  1, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  26th  of 
August.  Take  Rrederer,  since  he  possesses  your  confidence. 
To  ask  for  M.  Collin  was  absurd.  As  for  the  Abbe  Louis,  if  he 
had  wished  to  leave  me  I  should  not  have  opposed  it.  If  you 
want  a  person  who  understands  the  customs,  there  are  some  sub 
ordinates  of  M.  Collin  who  may  be  sent  to  you. 


[236.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  4, 1806. 

My  Brother, — There  are  89  pieces  of  ordnance  at  Pescara. 
There  are  12  gun-carriages  which  want  repairing:  order  it  to  be 
done.  Send  to  Pescara  a  military  commandant,  a  resident  artil 
lery  officer,  a  detachment  of  artillery,  and  20  more  gun-carriages 
to  protect  the  place  from  being  taken  by  assault.  The  defences 
appear  to  be  pretty  good.  It  might  be  surprised  from  the  sea, 
which  would  be  inconvenient. 


SEPT.  1806.  UNAUTHORIZED  CORRESPONDENCE.  213 

237.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  7, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  26th  of 
August.  I  see  that  Massena  is  still  far  from  Reggio ;  this  is 
giving  the  enemy  time  to  fortify  it,  and  much  time  will  be  lost 
in  taking  it.  I  am  not  told  whether  you  are  master  of  Cotrona. 


[238.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  8, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  s^e  with  extreme  surprise  that  the  chief  of 
your  staff,  indeed  that  an  officer  in  your  army,  presumes  to  com 
municate  with  the  enemy  without  having  been  authorised  by 
you.*  I  cannot  understand  it.  Is  General  Berthier  ignorant  of 
the  first  duties  of  his  profession  ?  Sidney  Smith's  answer  is  im 
pertinent,  like  every  thing  else  that  proceeds  from  him.  You 
ought  to  have  put  General  Berthier  under  arrest  for  a  week ;  and 
on  the  first  repetition  of  the  offence  you  should  deprive  him  of 
his  rank.  I  am  writing  to  his  brother,  that  he  may  make  known 
to  him  my  severe  displeasure.  Receive  no  flags  of  truce ;  they 
have  always  been  used  against  us  by  the  enemy. 


[239.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept  12, 1806. 

My   Brother, — I    have   appointed   Colonels   Cavaignac   and 
Blaniac  to  be  brigadier-generals,  as  a  reward  for  good  service. 


[  240.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept  12, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  told  you  that  Russia  had  not  ratified. 
Prussia  is  arming  in  a  most  ridiculous  manner;  however,  she 
shall  soon  disarm,  or  pay  dearly  for  what  she  is  doing.  Nothing 
can  exceed  the  vacillation  of  that  cabinet.  The  Court  of  Vienna 

*  A  letter  from  Sir  Sidney  Smith  to  General  Caesar  Berthier,  the  chief  of 
Joseph's  staff,  fell  into  Joseph's  hands,  and  was  sent  to  Napoleon.  It  was  ap 
parently  an  answer. — TR. 


214  WARLIKE  PREPARATIONS.  CHAP.  VIII 

makes  me  great  protestations,  and  its  total  want  of  power  inclines 
me  to  put  faith  in  them.  Whatever  happens,  I  can  face,  and 
will  face,  every  enemy.  The  conscription  which  I  have  just 
levied  is  going  on  in  every  direction.  I  am  going  to  call  out  my 
reserve  ;  *  I  am  fully  provided  and  in  want  of  nothing.  Whether 
it  be  war  or  peace  I  shall  not  diminish  your  army.  In  a  few  days 
perhaps  I  may  put  myself  at  the  head  of  my  grand  army  :  f  it 
consists  of  nearly  150,000  men,  and  with  that  force  I  can  reduce 
to  submission  Vienna,  Berlin,  and  St.  Petersburg.  There  will 
be  a  somewhat  formidable  army  in  Upper  Italy.  Keep  these  dis 
positions  secret ;  they  will  be  best  proclaimed  by  victory. 

Press  your  enemies  sharply ;  drive  them  out  of  the  peninsula ; 
recover  Cotrona,  Scylla,  and  Reggio.  The  negotiations  with 
England  are  still  going  on  ;  but  peace  or  war  must  be  decided  in 
a  week.  Fox  is  incapable  of  taking  part  in  public  affairs ;  he  is 
quite  overpowered  by  his  illness,  which  will  probably  bring  him 
to  his  grave.  Jerome  has  landed ;  I  have  made  him  a  prince, 
and  I  have  given  him  the  great  cordon  of  the  Legion  of  Honour. 
I  have  arranged  his  marriage  with  the  Princess  Catharine,  the 
Duke  of  Wurtemburg's  daughter.  As  I  shall  be  obliged  to  call 
for  a  plebiscitum  on  his  account,  that  is  to  say  the  sanction  of  the 
people  to  his  succession  to  the  crown,  I  wish  Lucien  not  to  let 
slip  this  opportunity.^; 

Be  quite  easy  about  political  affairs ;  go  on  as  if  nothing  were 
happening.  If  indeed  I  am  again  forced  to  strike,  my  measures 
are  so  well  and  surely  taken,  that  the  first  notice  to  Europe  of  my 
departure  from  Paris  will  be  the  total  ruin  of  my  enemies.  Let 
your  newspapers  describe  me  as  occupied  in  Paris  with  hunting, 

*  In  France,  usually  only  half  the  conscripts  are  called  out  at  first :  the 
other  half  is  called  the  reserve,  and  in  peace  is  seldom  called  out.  It  remains, 
however,  liahle  to  serve ;  and  on  an  emergency,  the  reserves  of  the  four  or 
five  previous  years  are  sometimes  called  out  together.  This  was  done  in  1854. 
— TK. 

f  He  did  so  twelve  days  after  the  date  of  this  letter. — TR. 

J  Joseph  wrote  to  Lucien.  Lucien  answered  that  he  would  not  part  with 
his  wife  or  make  any  change  in  the  position  of  his  children,  and  that  solicita,- 
tions  to  him,  which  must  meet  with  refusals,  were  useless. — TR. 


SEPT.  1806.  DESIEE  FOE  PEACE  IN  ENGLAND.  215 

amusements,  and  negotiations.  If  the  warlike  preparations  of 
Prussia  are  mentioned,  let  it  be  supposed  that  they  take  place 
with  my  consent ;  and  M.  Humboldt  must  have  received  orders 
to  proceed  to  your  court  as  Prussian  minister.  I  will  never  lay 
down  my  arms  unless  Naples  and  Sicily  are  yours.  I  have  called 
your  attention  to  Pescara :  keep  there  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
powder,  of  gun-carriages,  a  military  commandant,  an  engineer 
officer,  an  artillery  officer,  a  storekeeper,  a  commissariat  officer,  a 
garrison  of  400  or  500  men,  and  provisions  for  a  month.  Order 
the  troops  in  the  Abruzzi  to  shut  themselves  up  in  Pescara  on  an 
emergency,  sending  word  at  the  same  time  to  the  general  in  com 
mand  at  Ancona.  If  the  enemy  succeeded  in  landing  and  throw 
ing  1000  men  into  that  place,  he  would  soon  be  able  to  sustain  a 
siege,  which  would  be  very  inconvenient. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  events  I  do  not  forget  the  sea.  I 
have  schemes  which  may  possibly  in  a  month  or  two  make  me 
master  of  the  Mediterranean 


[241.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept  18, 1806. 

My  Brother, — Everything  proves  that  Mr.  Fox  is  dead. 
Lord  Yarmouth  has  been  triumphantly  received  in  London, 
because  he  was  known  to  belong  to  the  peace  party.  Mr.  Fox's 
illness  has  filled  the  nation  with  consternation.  The  ministers 
seemed  delighted  with  these  demonstrations,  and  all  hope  of  peace 
is  not  yet  lost.  The  English  minister  in  Paris  is  too  ill  to  see 
anybody.  He  has  attended  no  conference  since  the  arrival  of  his 
last  courier.  Prussia  makes  me  a  thousand  protestations,  which 
do  not  prevent  my  taking  my  precautions :  in  a  few  days  she  will 
have  disarmed,  or  she  will- be  crushed.  Austria  declares  her 
intention  to  remain  neutral.  Russia  does  not  know  what  she 
wants,  but  her  distance  renders  her  powerless.  Such,  in  two 
words,  is  the  state  of  affairs. 

I  fancy  that  in  the  course  of  the  next  ten  days  the  peace  of 
the  Continent  will  be  more  settled  than  ever.  As  to  England,  I 
can  conjecture  nothing.  Her  conduct  is  decided,  not  by  general 
politics,  but  by  internal  intrigues.  The  last  news  announced  that 


216  DEATH  .OF  FOX.  CHAP.  VIII. 

Mr.  Fox  was  at  the  point  of  death ;  his  friends  are  deploring  his 
loss  as  if  he  were  already  dead. 


[242.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  15, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  5th  of  Sep 
tember.  I  see  no  objection  to  the  arms  which  you  wish  to  adopt. 
It  appears  that  there  has  been  an  insurrection  near  Terracina, 
which  has  interrupted  the  communications:  it  was  probably 
assisted  by  the  sight  of  some  English  ships.  I  suppose  that  you 
speedily  set  things  to  rights.  As  soon  as  he  heard  of  it  the 
Viceroy  sent  3  battalions  from  Ancona  to  reinforce  General 
Duhesme.  As  they  are  taken  from  the  depots  of  your  army, 
give  orders  that  they  may  continue  their  march  to  Naples,  without 
stopping  at  Civita  Vecchia  or  in  the  Pontine  marshes. 


[243.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  17, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  just  received  the  news  of  Mr.  Fox's 
death.  Under  the  present  circumstances,  he  dies  regretted  by 
both  nations. 

The  Commandant  of  Terracina  appears  to  be  a  Neapolitan. 
He  has  spread  over  Italy  a  report  that  there  are  but  two  days' 
provisions  in  Gaeta.  He  has  given  himself  airs  of  importance, 
and  has  alarmed  Rome  and  its  environs ;  reprimand  him  in  my 

name.  I  know  not  who  this  colonel  is — he  calls  himself  L . 

You  would  not  do  ill  to  get  rid  of  such  people.  As  if  it  were 
possible  that  there  could  be  provisions  for  only  two  days  at  Graeta, 
and  that  none  were  to  be  found,  not  even  in  the  houses  of  the 
townspeople ! 

I  hear  from  Pescara  that  General  Tisson's  corps  has  left  there 
many  invalids,  and  that  General  Dombrowski  allows  them  to  re 
main  in  such  a  state  of  misery  and  destitution  that  they  have  not 
even  paillasses.  Send  thither  immediately  a  commissariat  officer, 
and  let  General  Dombrowski  join  the  Poles  in  Naples.  He  is  not 
fit  to  command  a  province ;  a  French  colonel  or  major  would  do 


SEPT.  1806.  JOSEPH'S  GUARD.  217 

better.  It  is  dreadful  to  think  that  the  sick  can  be  neglected  and 
in  want.  It  is  perhaps  to  be  regretted  that  these  troops  joined 
you  so  early.  A  month  later  they  would  have  arrived  in  good 
health.  You  ought  to  have  a  hospital  well  provided  at  Pescara. 


[244.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept  18, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  issued  a  decree  which  settles  the  number 
of  men  whom  I  can  spare  from  my  French  regiments  to  form 
your  guard.  I  can  allow  you  no  more.  Your  guard  should  not 
be  too  numerous.  It  is  advisable  not  to  excite  the  jealousy  of  the 
Imperial  Guard ;  it  is  by  looking  forward  that  one  prevents  incon 
veniences,  and  this  one  might  some  day  become  serious.  3000 
men  !  my  own  guard  has  no  more.*  I  am  obliged  to  replace  the 
officers  whom  you  have  taken,  which  increases  my  expenses  con 
siderably.  My  15  gendarmes  are  not  well  treated  at  Naples ; 
send  them  to  Milan.  This  is  of  great  importance,  because  they 
write  to  their  comrades ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  feel  hurt  that  my 
kindness  in  sending  men  out  of  my  own  guard  to  Naples  should 
be  thus  repaid.  They  had  an  employment ;  those  who  deprived 
them  of  it  and  sent  them  adrift  have  done  ill,  and  have  no  idea 
of  what  is  proper  or  of  what  is  due  to  me.  It  was  wrong  to  wish 
them  to  quit  my  guard  without  first  informing  me.  I  cannot  help 
being  displeased  with  the  officers  who  have  left  their  regiments 
without  my  permission.  The  generals  wrote  to  me,  as  was  reg 
ular;  the  colonels  and  captains  ought  to  have  done  so  too. 
These  things  are  very  important,  because,  after  having  joined  your 
service  in  this  manner,  they  may  just  as  easily  pass  on  to  another. 
A  gentleman  does  not  act  irregularly. 

When  you  receive  this  letter,  the  month  of  October,  in  which 
all  your  sick  will  get  well,  will  not  be  far  off.  I  think  that  it 
would  be  prudent  to  leave  no  invalids  in  Calabria,  but  to  send 
them  to  Capua.  The  European  horizon  is  rather  dark;  it  is 
possible  that  I  may  soon  be  at  war  with  the  King  of  Prussia.  I 

*  This  was  Joseph's  estimate  of  the  number  of  French  officers  and  soldiers 
necessary  for  his  guard. — TK. 
VOL.  I.— 10 


218  PEECAUTIONAKY  MEASUEES.  CHAP.  VIII 

have  already  written  to  you  on  the  subject.  Occupy  Calabria, 
Seylla,  and  Reggio  without  exciting  attention,  and  send  away  the 
sick  from  thence,  in  order  that,  if  it  were  absolutely  necessary, 
you  might  concentrate  all  your  troops  before  Naples  without 
difficulty  or  delay.  You  alone  must  know  the  motive  for  this 
arrangement ;  it  should  be  executed  naturally,  and  in  fact  it  is 
conformable  to  the  principles  of  war.  The  extremity  of  Italy 
exposes  its  flank  to  attack ;  if  the  English  were  to  arm  to  a  great 
extent,  your  invalids  ought  to  be  placed  in  safety  in  a  town  like 
Naples  or  Capua.  In  my  opinion,  Capua  is  the  place  for  all  your 
sick.  There  are  no  other  measures  for  you  to  take  at  present. 
In  the  first  place,  it  is  possible  that  in  eight  or  ten  days  all  may 
be  settled,  or,  if  not,  that  the  Prussians  may  be  so  completely 
beaten  in  the  first  encounters  that  a  few  days  may  terminate  the 
contest.  At  any  rate,  execute  exactly  all  that  I  have  told  you. 
If  Capua  is  considered  capable  of  maintaining  a  siege,  you  may 
arm  the  defences,  as  it  will  contain  your  hospitals,  which  you 
cannot  expose  to  surprise  or  pillage.  You  may  begin  to  send 
thither  some  artillery,  and  make  it  the  centre  of  your  resources. 
I  repeat  to  you,  you  will  do  injury  to  your  affairs  if  you  allow 
any  one  else  to  read  this  letter.  I  am  in  the  habit  of  meditating 
for  three  or  four  months  beforehand  on  the  best  course  to  pursue, 
of  calculating  on  the  possibility  of  the  worst.  You  will,  there 
fore,  do  injury  to  your  affairs  if  you  allow  what  I  am  now  writing 
to  you  to  be  known. 

[245.]  NAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  20, 1806. 

My  Brother, — The  arming  is  going  on  actively  on  both  sides ; 
order  General  Chambarlhiac  of  the  Engineers  to  travel  post  to 
Ulrn  in  Bavaria,  where  he  will  receive  further  orders.  Brigadier 
Montbrun  is  useless,  perhaps  troublesome  to  you,  and  he  is  neces 
sary  to  me  for  skirmishing  warfare :  desire  him  also  to  join  the 
Grand  Army.  Send  General  Laplanche  Mortieres  back  to  An- 
cona  to  be  in  command  there.  I  wish  to  recall  Lemarrois  to  my 
side.  Let  these  movements  be  made  with  the  utmost  expedition ; 
October  is  at  hand,  sickness  will  disappear.  The  English,  tossed 


SEPT.  1S06.  PEEPAEATIONS  FOE  WAE.  219 

by  the  tempests,  will  not  be  able  to  continue  their  operations ; 
they  will  be  tired,  too,  of  constant  failure.  Read  over  and  over 
again  the  last  letters  which  I  have  written  to  you,  and  execute 
the  dispositions  which  I  have  mentioned,  quietly  but  unremit 
tingly.  As  soon  as  reports  of  armaments  reach  Naples,  announce 
that  all  will  be  settled ;  and  when  you  hear  of  the  commencement 
of  hostilities,  say  that  I  am  acting  in  concert  with  England  to 
compel  Prussia  to  restore  Hanover ;  as  Lord  Lauderdale  is  still  in 
Paris,  this  will  not  appear  improbable. 

If  you  can  spare  General  Espagne,  send  him  back  to  Milan, 
where  he  will  form  part  of  the  army  of  Italy.  If  you  do  not 
want  General  Dombrowski,  let  him  come  to  Paris,  whence  I  shall 
send  him  to  Germany.  That  Polish  general  might  be  of  some  use 
to  me.  Do  not  be  in  the  least  uneasy ;  you  will  hear  of  my 
arrival  at  the  army,  and  of  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  only 
with  the  news  of  my  success.  The  conscription  is  advancing 
rapidly ;  20,000  men  are  crossing  the  Alps  to  join  your  depots ; 
40,000  men  are  to  fill  up  my  regiments.  I  am  going  to  call  out 
the  reserve.  The  national  guard  is  on  foot  everywhere. 


[246.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  24, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  start  this  night  for  Mayence,  where  I  shall 
arrive  on  the  28th.  I  have  ordered  the  Arch-Chancellor  Cam- 
baceres  and  the  minister  Dejean  to  write  to  you  every  day  to 
give  you  the  news. 

[247.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Mayence,  Oct  1, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  am  leaving  Mayence  for  Wiirzburg,  where  I 
am  assembling  all  my  army. 


The  following  letter  is  published  by  M.  Thiers,  and  is  trans 
lated  as  the  most  vivid  picture  of  the  state  of  Napoleon's  mind 
at  this  time.  Few  governments  have  altered  less  in  character  than 
that  of  Prussia. 


220  CHAEACTEE  OF  PEUSSIA,  CHAP.  VIIL 

[248.]  NAPOLEON  TO  M.  DE  LA  ROCHEFOUCAULD, 

French  Ambassador  in  Vienna. 

Wurzburg,  Oct  3, 1806. 

I  am  here  since  yesterday,  which  has  enabled  me  to  converse 
at  some  length  with  the  Duke.*  I  have  communicated  to  him 
my  firm  resolution,  whatever  be  the  result  of  the  present  discus 
sions,  to  break  off  all  alliance  with  Prussia.  According  to  my 
last  news  from  Berlin  we  may  not  be  at  war,  but  I  will  have  no 
alliance  with  a  power  so  changeable  and  so  contemptible.  Of 
course  I  am  ready  to  be  at  peace  with  her ;  I  have  no  right  to 
shed  uselessly  the  blood  of  my  subjects.  I  want  a  continental 
alliance  to  support  my  maritime  projects.  Circumstances  led  me 
to  one  with  Prussia ;  but  she  is  now,  as  she  was  in  1740,  and 
always  has  been,  without  consistency  and  without  honour.  I 
esteemed  the  Emperor  of  Austria  even  in  his  calamities  when 
events  separated  us;  I  believe  him  to  be  constant  and  true. 
Speak  in  this  tone,  but  without  eagerness.  My  position  and  my 
strength  are  such  that  I  can  fear  no  one,  but  these  efforts  press  on 
my  people.  Of  the  three  powers,  Russia,  Prussia,  and  Austria, 
I  want  one  for  an  ally.  Prussia  can  never  be  trusted ;  there 
remain  Russia  and  Austria.  An  Austrian  alliance  once  enabled 
us  to  be  strong  at  sea.  Austria,  like  myself,  wishes  for  quiet. 
An  alliance,  based  on  the  independence  of  Turkey,  guaranteed  by 
us,  and  with  a  mutual  understanding,  securing  the  peace  of 
Europe,  would  enable  me  to  turn  my  attention  to  my  fleet.  It 
would  suit  me.  Austria  has  often  hinted  this  to  me.  The  pres 
ent  moment,  if  she  is  ready  to  take  advantage  of  it,  is  peculiarly 
favourable.  I  say  no  more.  I  have  explained  myself  more  fully 
to  the  Prince  of  Benevento,  who  will  communicate  with  you. 
Your  part  is  played  as  soon  as  you  have  insinuated,  as  slightly  as 
possible,  that  I  am  not  opposed  to  a  system  which  might  unite  me 
more  closely  to  Austria.  Keep  watch  on  Moldavia  and  Walla- 

*  The  Duke  of  WiirzLurg,  the  well-known  Archduke  Ferdinand  of  Aus 
tria.—  TR. 


OCT.  1806.  AUSTKIAN  ALLIANCE  DESIRABLE.  221 

chia,  and  let  me  have  early  notice  of  any  attempts  by  Russia  on 
Turkey.     Whereupon,  &c.* 


[249.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Wurzburg,  Oct.  5, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  am  starting  for  Bamberg,  round  which  place 
my  troops  are  in  motion.  I  am  quite  well,  and  I  have  good 
hopes  of  soon  coming  to  the  end  of  all  this. 


[  250.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bamberg,  Oct  7, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  25th  of 
September;  I  see  with  pleasure  that  you  have  got  rid  of  that 
wretched  Fra  Diavolo.  The  healthy  season  is  coming ;  your  sick 
will  soon  get  well.  As  soon  as  the  French  cease  to  be  overcome 
by  the  heat,  they  will  recover  their  energy.  Send  back  the  gen 
erals  whom  you  do  not  want;  they  are  very  expensive,  and  are 
only  in  your  way. 

We  commenced  hostilities  yesterday.  I  will  send  your  aide- 
de-camp  back  to  you  in  10  days ;  I  saw  him  to-day. 

I  have  desired  Prince  Eugene  and  M.  Cambaceres  to  write 
to  you  by  every  opportunity.  Till  the  first  important  news 
reaches  you,  spread  the  report  that  peace  is  made,  and  that  an 
interview  has  taken  place  between  the  two  sovereigns,  in  which  all 
has  been  settled.  The  conduct  of  Prussia  is  insane.  The  war 
party  have  gained  the  upper  hand  in  the  cabinet. 


During  the  18  days  which  elapsed  between  Napoleon's  letters 
to  Joseph  of  the  7th  and  the  25th  of  October,  he  had  subdued 
Prussia. 

I  insert  two  letters  of  Napoleon's,  written  during  this  inter 
val,  to  Murat  and  to  Soult.  The  battle  of  Jena  was  fought  on 
the  14th  of  October. 

*  Histoire  du  Consulat  et  de  1'Empire,  tome  septieme,  p.  50. 


WAR  WITH  PEUSSIA.  CHAP.  VIII 


[  251.]  NAPOLEON  TO  THE  GRAND  DUKE  OF  BERG. 

Imperial  Head-quarters,  Schleitz,  Oct.  10, 1S06,  5,  A.M. 

General  E-app  has  informed  me  of  the  happy  result  of  yes 
terday  evening.  It  appears  to  me  that  you  had  not  enough  of 
your  cavalry  united  and  in  hand.  You  reduce  it  to  nothing  by 
dispersing  it.  You  have  6  regiments — I  have  always  advised  you 
to  keep  at  least  4  in  hand.  I  did  not  see  more  than  2  with  you 
yesterday.  Our  reconnaissances  towards  the  right  are  now  less 
important.  Marshal  Soult  being  at  Plauen,  we  must  reconnoitre 
in  force  towards  Posneck  and  Saalfeld.  Marshal  Lannes  reached 
Grrafenthal  on  the  evening  of  the  9th.  He  attacks  Saalfeld 
to-morrow :  you  see  how  important  it  is  that  I  should  know  in 
the  course  of  to-day  the  enemy's  movements  towards  Saalfeld,  in 
order  that,  if  he  collect  there  more  than  25,000  men,  I  may  send 
reinforcements  by  Possheim  and  take  them  in  the  rear.  I  have 
ordered  the  divisions  of  Dupont  and  Beaumont  to  move  on 
Schleitz.  To  be  prepared  for  everything  we  must  reconnoitre  a 
good  position  in  advance  of  Schleitz  to  serve  as  a  field  of  battle 
for  more  than  80,000  men.  Do  not  let  this  prevent  your  sending 
by  daybreak  strong  reconnaissances  towards  Auma  and  Posneck 
supported  by  Drouet's  division.  Davoust's  first  division  will  be  at 
Saalburg,  his  two  others  in  advance  near  Obersdorf,  and  his 
light  cavalry  in  advance.  I  have  ordered  Ney  to  Tanna.  Your 
great  business  to-day  is,  first  to  profit  by  yesterday's  success  by 
picking  up  as  many  prisoners  and  getting  as  much  information  as 
possible ;  secondly,  to  reconnoitre  Auma  and  Saalfeld  in  order  to 
know  precisely  what  are  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 

[252.]  NAPOLEON  TO  MARSHAL  SOULT. 

Obersdorf,  Oct.  10, 1806,  8  A.M. 

We  beat  yesterday  the  8000  men  who  had  retreated  from 
Hof  to  Schleitz,  where  they  expected  reinforcements  during  the 
night.  Their  cavalry  had  been  cut  to  pieces  and  a  colonel  taken 
prisoner.  More  than  2000  muskets  and  caps  were  found  on  the 
field.  The  Prussian  infantry  did  not  stand.  We  have  not  caught 


OCT.  1806.  WAR  WITH  PRUSSIA.  223 

more  than  2000  prisoners,  as  it  was  night  and  they  dispersed  in 
the  woods.  I  reckon  on  a  good  number  this  morning. 

This,  I  think,  is  clear:  the  Prussians  intended  to  attack; 
their  left  will  debouch  to-morrow  by  Jena,  Saalfeld,  and  Coburg. 
Prince  Hohelohe's  head-quarters  were  at  Jena,  Prince  Louis's  at 
Saalfeld.  Their  other  column  debouches  by  Meiningen  on  Fulda, 
so  that  I  suspect  that  you  have  nobody  before  you,  perhaps  not 
1000  men  between  you  and  Dresden.  If  you  can  crush  one  of 
their  corps,  do  so.  I  cannot  move ;  I  have  too  much  still  behind : 
I  shall  push  my  advances  to  Aurna.  I  have  examined  a  good 
field  of  battle  for  80,000  men  beyond  Schleitz.  I  send  Marshal 
Ney  to  Tanna,  two  leagues  from  Schleitz.  You  could  reach 
Schleitz  from  Plauen  in  24  hours. 

On  the  5th  the  Prussian  army  moved  towards  Thuringia,  so 
that  I  think  that  they  must  be  many  days  too  late.  My  junction 
with  my  left  is  made,  at  present,  only  by  posts  of  cavalry,  which 
is  nothing.  Marshal  Lannes  will  be  at  Saalfeld  to  morrow,  unless 
the  enemy  is  there  in  great  force. 

Therefore  to-day  and  to-morrow  are  lost  for  advancing.  If  I 
effect  my  junction  I  shall  push  on  as  far  as  Neustadt  and  Triplitz ; 
after  that,  if  the  enemy  attacks  me,  I  shall  be  delighted ;  if  he 
allows  himself  to  be  attacked,  I  shall  not  leave  him  alone.  If 
he  moves  by  Madgeburg,  you  will  be  in  Dresden  before  him.  I 
am  anxious  for  a  battle.  His  intention  to  attack  shows  great 
confidence.  He  may  therefore  attack  me  even  now — nothing 
would  please  me  better.  After  the  battle  I  should  be  in  Dresden 
and  Berlin  before  him. 

I  am  impatient  for  the  cavalry  of  my  guards.  Forty  guns 
and  3000  horse,  such  as  they  are,  are  not  to  be  despised.  You 
see  now  my  plans  for  to-day  and  to-morrow.  Act  as  you  think 
best,  but  procure  bread,  so  as  to  have  enough  for  some  days  if 
you  join  me. 

If  you  can  do  anything  against  the  enemy  within  a  day's 
march,  do  it  boldly.  Place  small  cavalry  posts  between  Plauen 
and  Schleitz  for  rapid  correspondence.  Up  to  the  present  time 
the  campaign  seems  to  open  happily. 

I  presume  that  you  are  at  Plauen ;  you  ought  to  have  it. 


224  WAE  WITH  PKUSSIA.  CHAP.  Vllt 

Let  me  know  what  you  think  that  you  have  before  you. 
None  of  the  troops  at  Hof  have  retreated  Tby  Dresden. 

P.  S. — I  have  this  instant  your  dispatch  of  6  o'clock  yesterday 
evening.  I  approve  of  your  dispositions.  The  fact  that  the  1000 
cavalry  which  were  at  Plauen  have  retreated  to  Gera  shows  that 
G-era  is  the  place  of  junction  of  the  enemy's  army.  I  doubt 
whether  it  will  all  be  collected  before  I  am  there.  In  the  course 
of  the  day,  however,  I  shall  know  more.  You  will  learn  some 
thing  at  Plauen  from  intercepted  letters.* 

f  253.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Potzdam,  Oct,  25,  1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  have  sent  back  two 
regiments  of  horse;  send  back  two  more.  From  what  I  see, 
cavalry  regiments  are  of  little  use  to  you  in  Naples.  I  might 
indeed  have  some  remark  to  make  on  your  sending  to  me  2000 
convicts,  whom  I  shall  not  know  what  to  do  with  in  France.  I 
only  hope  that  they  may  be  well  guarded,  and  not  allowed  to 
infect  Piedmont.  Take  every  means  of  protecting  your  troops 
from  disease. 

I  am  sorry  to  see  that  you  have  sent  back  Verdier ;  he  is  an 
excellent  officer ;  few  men  would  in  certain  events  have  been  of 
more  use  to  you.  Send  back  all  the  generals  who  are  of  no  use, 
but  keep  the  good  ones,  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  fire 
and  to  fighting.  I  have  crushed  the  Prussian  monarchy ;  if  the 
Russians  come,  I  shall  destroy  them  also,  nor  do  I  fear  the  Aus- 
trians.  I  do  not  ask  you  for  troops,  I  am  not  in  want  of  any. 
Send  me,  however,  some  cavalry,  if  you  can ;  for  the  more  you 
send  to  me,  the  more  I  shall  be  able  to  withdraw  from  Italy  for 
the  Grand  Army.  This  is  just  the  country  for  cavalry,  and  it 
can  do  nothing  in  Naples  against  the  brigands,  and  among  the 
rocks  and  mountains.  I  have  ordered  my  treasurer  to  send  you 
500,000  fr.  more  in  gold.  .If,  in  consequence  of  the  losses  that 
your  Poles  have  sustained,  their  companies  should  be  incomplete, 

*  Thiers,  vol.  vii.  p.  90-93. 


OCT.  1806.  WAR  WITH  PRUSSIA.  225 

send  them  to  Landau,  where  they  will  become  part  of  the  north 
ern  legion.     This  will  save  you  expense. 


[254.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Berlin,  Oct.  30, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  the  return  of  the  officers  whom  you 
have  sent  back.  I  approve  very  much  of  what  you  have  done: 
these  officers  will  be  of  more  use  to  me  in  other  places ;  perhaps 
you  still  keep  too  many.  Nevertheless  I  am  aware  that  it  is  ne 
cessary  to  organise  the  army  and  the  country,  and  that  for  this 
purpose  you  require  a  certain  number  of  men.  If  General  Mosul 
of  the  Engineers  has  not  yet  gone  beyond  Milan,  tell  him  to  join 
the  grand  army  by  way  of  the  Tyrol.  Give  the  same  order  to 
General  Debille  and  General  Franceschi,  if  it  is  he  who  was 
Soult's  aide-de-camp. 

[  255.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Berlin,  Nov.  4, 1806. 

My  Brother, — The  bulletins  will  have  informed  you  of  what 
is  going  on  here.  I  have  taken  120,000  prisoners ;  park,  maga 
zines,  baggage,  everything  has  fallen  into  my  power.  The  three 
fortresses  on  the  Oder  have  capitulated.  I  have  completely 
crushed  the  power  of  Prussia.  Austria  has  begun  to  arm  on  the 
pretext  of  protecting  her  neutrality.  We  must  make  corres 
ponding  preparations  in  Upper  Italy.  If  Austria  were  to  attack 
us,  you  would  gain  this  advantage  by  my  position — that  the  Rus 
sians  would  concentrate  their  forces  in  Poland,  and  that  England 
would  direct  hers  upon  Sweden.  I  will  leave  you  all  the  infant 
ry  that  you  have  at  present;  but  you  must  scrupulously  execute 
the  following  orders : — 

First  send  all  the  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  belong 
ing  to  the  3rd  and  4th  battalions  back  to  their  depots.  Two 
months  ago  I  sent  you  4000  or  5000  men  from  your  depdts;  I 
suppose  that  you  have  incorporated  them  in  the  regiments. 

Secondly,  send  back  to  me  all  the  officers  and  non-commis 
sioned  officers  and  the  majors.* 

*  So  in  the  text.     Though  numbered  2,  it  is  a  repetition  of  No.  1. — TK. 


AEMT  OF  NAPLES.  CHAP.  VIIL 

Thirdly,  send  back  the  French  and  Italian  cavalry,  and  keep 
only  4  regiments  of  French  chasseurs  or  dragoons.  You  have 
12,  you  have  therefore  to  send  back  8.  Keep  the  Polish  regi 
ments  and'  the  1st  regiment  of  Italian  cavalry:  send  back  the 
other  two.  This  is  very  important^  I  am  on  the  borders  of 
Poland ;  to  make  war  in  that  country  one  must  have  cavalry. 
Relying  on  your  sending  back  yours,  I  have  withdrawn  8  regi 
ments  of  horse  from  Italy,  and  if  you  fail  me,  enough  will  not  be 
left  there.  The  last  2  months  have  been  spent  in  arming  and 
victualling  my  strong  places  in  Italy.  I  have  just  given  orders 
that  my  army  may  be  assembled  by  the  1st  of  December ;  it  will 
consist  altogether  of  more  than  60,000  men.  I  hope  that  by 
that  time  I  shall  have  received  the  8  regiments  for  which  I  am 
asking  you ;  after  a  few  days'  rest  they  will  be  able  to  do  them 
selves  credit.  Add  that  this  will  save  you  much  money,  and 
thus  enable  you  to  raise  some  battalions  of  Neapolitan  infantry, 
composed  of  men  who  are  attached  to  you  and  whom  you  can 
trust ;  they  will  be  of  more  use  to  you  than  cavalry.  Manage  to 
send  back  with  the  cavalry  a  squadron  of  your  regiment  of  light 
artillery.  You  can  do  without  it,  while  it  is  indispensable  here 
for  manoeuvres  in  these  immense  plains. 

[256.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Berlin,  Nov.  7, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  the  death  of  your  aide- 
de-camp  Colonel  Bruyere ;  he  was  an  accomplished  officer :  if 
only  he  had  been  killed  on  the  field  of  battle ! 

I  see  with  pleasure  that  you  have  sent  back  5  dragoon  regi 
ments  ;  you  are  aware  that  I  wish  you  to  send  back  a  few  more 
regiments  of  cavalry.  You  propose  to  send  me  a  Neapolitan 
regiment ;  you  may  do  as  you  please  about  it :  I  own  that  I 
should  very  much  like  a  regiment  of  2000  Neapolitans.  If  you 
send  this  regiment,  direct  it  on  Brescia,  from  whence  I  shall  have 
time  enough  to  send  for  it  to  Berlin.  As  for  the  generals  and 
aides-de-camp,  you  may  take  those  whom  you  prefer.  If  you  are 
sure  that  you  do  not  want  Marshal  Massena,  send  him  to  Berlin. 
I  will  try  to  give  him  the  command  of  one  of  my  corps. 


Nov.  1806.  CAMPAIGN  IN  PRUSSIA.  227 

[257.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Berlin,  Nov.  11, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  28th  of 
October.  I  see  no  objection  to  your  printing  the  bulletins  as 
they  arrive  :  in  the  beginning  it  might  have  been  dangerous,  but 
this  danger  has  ceased  to  exist.  I  am  in  Poland. 


[  258.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Berlin,  Nov.  12, 1806. 

My  Brother, — Your  newspapers  contain  nothing  but  petty 
details  of  assassinations  and  murders.  This  suits  admirably  the 
object  of  our  enemies,  who  wish  to  persuade  the  world  that 
everything  is  topsy-turvy  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  Forbid 
them  in  future  to  print  anything  except  what  is  important. 


[  259.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Berlin,  Nov.  15, 1806. 

My  Brother, — Your  aide-de-camp  Clary  has  just  arrived,  and 
at  the  same  time  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  30th,  which 
was  sent  to  me  by  post  from  Mayence.  You  will  see  by  the  bul 
letins  that  our  affairs  here  are  prospering ;  that  my  army  is  on 
the  Vistula  ;  and  that  Poland  is  enthusiastic.  I  am  master  of 
all  the  strong  places.  I  have  taken  in  the  campaign  140,000 
prisoners,  of  whom  20,000  are  cavalry.  I  have  captured  more 
than  800  pieces  of  cannon,  and  250  standards  and  colours.  The 
Prussian  army  and  monarchy  have  ceased  to  exist. 


[  260.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Berlin,  Nov.  16,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  ordered  M.  Mollien  to  send  you  500,000 
francs  in  gold,  for  your  aide-de-camp  tells  me  that  you  are  poor 
I  cannot  at  present  answer  your  question  whether  Julie  ought  to 
join  you.  I  will  make  up  my  mind  in  a  few  days.  I  am  going 
to  try  to  organise  some  Prussian  and  German  regiments  here  for 
your  service.  The  news  of  what  has  just  happened  has  thrown 


228  PEOPOSAL  TO  MACDONALD.  CHAP. 

London  into  consternation.  The  occupation  of  Hamburgh,  which 
I  have  just  effected,  and  the  declaration  of  the  blockade  of  the 
British  islands,*  will  increase  this  uneasiness.  It  appears1  that 
the  recent  elections  have  gone  against  the  government. 


[261.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Posen,  Nov.  29,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  see  with  pleasure  that  the  number  of  your 
invalids  is  beginning  to  diminish.  Everything  will  go  on  better 
and  better  with  you. 

I  occupy  the  whole  country  on  this  side  of  the  Vistula.  I  am 
at  Posen,  the  capital  of  Great  Poland.  The  Poles  of  all  classes 
exhibit  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  I  still  wish  you  to  send  as  many 
cavalry  regiments  as  you  possibly  can  into  Italy  :  that  arm  costs 
you  much,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  is  of  little  use  to  you. 


[  262.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Posen,  Dec.  8, 1806. 

My  Brother, — You  require  a  man  of  ability  and  energy;  I 
think  that  Macdonald  would  suit  you.  Have  a  letter  written  to 
him  at  Paris  on  the  subject ;  and  if  he  consents  to  enter  your 
service,  it  will  be  a  great  advantage  for  you.  You  understand 
that  a  proposal  of  this  sort  must  come  from  you.f 


[  263.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Posen,  Dec.  8, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  17th  of 
November.  I  see  that  jou  have  sent  back  2  regiments  of  Italian 
cavalry  and  4  regiments  of  French  dragoons.  You  have  2  regi 
ments  of  dragoons,  1  Italian  regiment,  and  5  regiments  of  chas- 

*  This  was  the  celebrated  Berlin  Decree,  which  declared  the  British 
Islands  in  a  state  of  blockade,  and  prohibited  all  commerce  with  them. — TK. 

f  Macdonald  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Moreau.  He  fell  with  Moreau, 
and  was  for  five  years  in  disgrace.-  This  letter  shows  that  Napoleon  remem 
bered  him,  and  wished  him  to  return  to  the  service.  He  became  marshal  after 
the  battle  of  Wagram. — ED. 


DEO.  1806.  KEBELLION  IN  POLAND.  229 

seurs.  As  I  suppose  that  you  keep  the  chasseurs,  I  have  ordered 
a  reinforcement  of  men  for  each  of  those  regiments  to  be  sent  to 
you.  I  have  sent  to  M.  Dejean  the  list  of  men  whom  you  have 
taken  for  your  guard.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  nominated 
most  of  them. 

[264.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Posen,  Dec.  5, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  asked  for  your  Polish  legion ;  it  is  urgently 
wanted.  I  suppose  that  it  has  aleady  reached  Milan.  Send  off 
all  the  Polish  officers  whom  you  have ;  let  them  travel  post ; 
they  are  not  all  wanted  for  the  march  of  the  legion.  The  whole 
of  Poland  is  in  rebellion,  and  troops  are  being  raised  there  in 
every  direction.  I  have  ordered  600  men  to  be  sent  to  you 
from  your  depots  in  Italy,  well  armed  and  clothed.  They  may 
take  the  horses  belonging  to  the  sick,  or  you  will  easily  procure 
others  for  them.  I  have  made  preparations  in  Italy;  I  have 
formed  two  camps,  one  at  Verona  and  one  at  Brescia,  for  it  does 
not  do  to  be  taken  unprepared ;  and  I  have  had  these  places  pro 
visioned.  Austria,  however,  has  at  my  request  dissolved  her 
corps  of  observation,  and  all  inclines  me  to  think  that  she  wishes 
to  be  quiet. 

You  still  keep  3  regiments  of  French  dragoons :  if  you  can 
send  them  back,  either  all  or  in  part,  it  will  be  useful ;  but  do 
not  alter  too  much  your  military  organisation.  I  suppose  that 
you  are  master  of  Reggio  and  of  Scylla.  The  present  season  in 
Calabria  must  be  good  for  the  French  :  you  must  turn  this 
weather  to  account  in  quieting  the  country.  In  the  winter  the 
French  are  capable  of  marching  to  any  extent.  You  ought  to 
be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  present  position  of  your  army. 
I  should  like  to  have  a  fresh  return  giving  exactly  the  numbers 
present  under  arms  and  those  in  the  hospitals,  and  showing 
clearly  the  situation  of  your  troops.  I  had  concluded  a  truce, 
but  the  King  of  Prussia  was  unable  to  ratify  it,  as  he  was  already 
in  the  power  of  the  Russians.  . 

Your  young  aide-de-camp  is  a  rake ;  he  will  suffer  for  it  in 
time.  Give  some  news  of  Borghese  to  his  family;  he  is  at 


230  CAVALRY  SENT  TO  ITALY.  CHAP.  VIIL 

Warsaw,  at  the  head  of  his  regiment.  All  the  strong  places  in 
Silesia  will  soon  be  in  my  power.  Prince  Jerome  is  in  com 
mand  of  a  G-erman  division.  Although  the  declarations  of 
Austria  are  pacific,  I  did  not  like  to  give  precise  orders  to  the 
Queen  to  join  you  at  Naples.  You  may,  however,  do  as  you 
like  about  it;  but  she  does  so  well  in  Paris,  and  I  dislike  so 
much  to  see  women  and  children  running  into  the  midst  of  sedition 
and  rebellion,  that  in  truth  I  see  no  objection  to  her  delay  ing  her 
journey.  I  have  written  to  tell  her  that  you  have  sent  for  her, 
but  that  I  think  she  had  better  pass  some  more  of  the  winter  in 
Paris. 

Now  that  you  are  more  at  rest,  I  suppose  that  yc  u  open  your 
palace  and  enliven  the  society  of  Naples ;  this  is  necessary  both 
for  your  sake  and  for  that  of  the  town.  You  should  have  a  large 
circle,  and  not  live  too  quietly. 


[  265.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Posen,  Dec.  7, 1806. 

My  Brother, — I  was  glad  to  see  that  you  had  sent  some 
cavalry  regiments  back  to  Italy.  I  have  given  orders  that  900 
men,  well  armed  and  clothed,  should  be  sent  to  join  you  from 
your  depots,  to  reinforce  the  6  regiments  of  cavalry  remaining 
with  you. 

[  266.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Posen,  Dec.  11,  1806. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  22nd  of 
November.  I  wish  to  have  a  return  showing  the  positions  of 
the  French,  Italian,  and  Neapolitan  troops  who  are  at  present 
under  your  orders. 

[  267.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Posen,  Dec.  14,  1S06. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  27th  of 
November.  If  you  can  find  some  thousands  of  Neapolitans  who 
are  willing  to  serve  with  the  Grand  Army,  assemble  them  in 
bodies  and  send  them  to  Augsburg.  You  do  not  mention  the 


JAN.  180T.  THE  AEMY.  231 

Polish  legion ;  officers  are  what  I  want  above  all.  If  the  legion 
has  not  yet  left  Naples,  collect  all  the  soldiers  in  one  battalion, 
and  send  to  me  the  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  of  the 
other  battalions.  I  have  granted  the  different  decorations  which 
you  asked  me  for. 

[268.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Warsaw,  Jan.  2, 1807. 

My  Brother, — In  the  return  of  the  24th  of  November  I  see 
that  the  2  brigades  belonging  to  the  provisional  reserve,  which 
were  taken  from  the  depots  in  Naples,  and  consisted  of  8  bat 
talions,  are  not  yet  broken  up,  and  that  the  detachments  have 
not  yet  joined  their  regiments.  I  hope  that  by  this  time  they 
have  done  so.  There  are  all  sorts  of  objections  to  these  irregu 
larities;  the  accounts  are  thrown  into  confusion,  and  the  regi 
ments  are  discouraged.  The  officers  and  non-commissioned 
officers  of  these  provisional  battalions  are  besides  wanted  at  the 
depots,  to  instruct  the  great  number  of  conscripts  who  have  just 
arrived.  Pray  attend  to  this.  It  is  very  important.  Send  back 
to  the  depots  the  majors,  the  officers,  and  non-commissioned 
officers  of  the  3rd  battalions,  and  order  the  provisional  detach 
ments  to  join  their  regiments. 


[269.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"Warsaw,  Jan.  6, 1807. 

My  Brother, — You  will  find  enclosed  a  decree  which  I  have 
just  issued.*  I  beg  you  to  give  the  most  positive  orders  for  its 
execution.  I  want  to  add  2  regiments  to  the  Army  of  Italy. 
Besides,  these  regiments  have  suffered  so  severely  in  Calabria, 
that  they  require  to  be  brought  together.  I  even  intend  them 
to  proceed  to  Germany,  that  I  may  have  them  under  my  eye. 
They  have  also  to  wipe  out  the  shame  of  having  been  beaten  by 
the  English.  By  the  returns  of  the  Army  of  Naples  of  the  1st 

*  This  decree  does  not  appear.  It  probably  related  to  the  two  regiments,  the 
1st  light  infantry  and  the  42nd,  which  began  the  flight  at  Maida  — TR. 


232  NAPLES.— THE  AEMY.  CHAP.  VIII 

of  December  I  see  that  the  provisional  battalions  are  still  in  ex 
istence.  What  are  your  minister  of  war  and  the  chief  of  your 
staff  doing  ?  Desire  these  battalions  to  be  broken  up  immedi 
ately,  and  the  detachments  to  be  incorporated  in  their  regiments. 
You  will  see  that  I  send  you  5000  men,  armed  and  equipped, 
from  your  depots.  Before  the  month  of  June  you  will  have 
6000  more.  Take  care  to  send  back  the  officers  and  non-com 
missioned  officers  of  the  3rd  battalions.  The  6th  of  the  line  is 
very  weak.  It  would  be  an  economy  and  good  for  the  service 
to  incorporate  the  privates  *  in  the  1st  battalion,  and  to  send  back 
the  cadre  of  the  2nd  to  the  depot.  I  think  that  you  had  better 
treat  in  the  same  way  all  the  regiments  of  which  the  battalions, 
including  the  reinforcements  that  I  am  sending  to  you,  do  not 
amount  to  800  men.  My  battalions  here  have  each  an  effective 
force  of  1250  men.  In  this  way  you  can  diminish  your  expenses 
considerably  without  weakening  your  army,  and  you  may  send 
back  from  150  to  180  f  officers.  It  would  facilitate  also  the 
forming  cadres  in  Upper  Italy.  You  may  take  this  opportunity 
to  get  rid  of  all  the  officers  who  are  tired  of  the  service  and  the 
country.  I  leave  you,  however,  to  do  as  you  think  proper. 


[270.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Warsaw,  Jan.  11, 1807. 

My  Brother,— You  ask  me  for  24,000,000  a  year.  The 
French  army  which  I  have  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  would  not, 
anywhere  else,  cost  me  so  much.  The  large  armaments  which  I 
am  making  will  not  admit  of  my  sending  such  a  large  sum  out  of 
France. 

I  have,  however,  ordered  all  that  can  be  spared  from  the  mint 
of  Turin  to  be  sent  to  you. 

*In  the  text  the  word  is  "  officiers,"  but  this  must  be  a  mistake.  The 
officers  make  part  of  the  cadre,  which  consists  of  the  commissioned  and  con- 
commissioned  officers.  All  that  follows  shows  that  it  was  the  privates  who  were 
to  be  retained,  andtha  officers 'who  were  to  be  sent  back. — TR. 

fin  the  text  "  15  &  1800  cfficiers."  This  must  be  an  error  of  a  cipher. 
— TR. 


JAN.  180T.  DEPUTATION  FEOM  JOSEPH.  233 

[271.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"Warsaw,  Jan.  18, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  29th  of 
December.  I  see  by  it  that  you  do  not  keep  Marshal  Massena. 
You  have  now  with  you  not  one  man  who  has  been  mixed  up 
in  great  events.  You  will  want  such  a  man  in  the  summer.  I 
think,  then,  that  you  would  do  well  to  ask  for  the  services  of 
General  Macdonald,  and  by  a  direct  proposal.  You  will  see 
that  I  have  ordered  a  detachment  of  5000  or  6000  recruits  to  be 
sent  to  you  from  Italy. 


[272.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH.* 

Warsaw,  Jan.  28, 1807. 

Monsieur  mon  Frere, — I  could  not  receive  your  Majesty's 
letter  and  wishes  for  my  happiness  without  strong  emotion.  Your 
fortunes  and  my  victories  have  interposed  between  us  vast 
countries :  you  are  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  I  am  on 
those  of  the  Baltic  ;  but  in  the  harmony  of  our  measures  we  tend 
towards  the  same  objects.  Keep  a  watch  on  your  coast;  do  not 
suffer  it  to  be  approached  by  the  English  or  by  their  commerce ; 
their  exclusion  will  restore  the  tranquillity  of  your  country. 
Your  kingdom  is  rich  and  populous ;  with  the  help  of  God,  it 
will  attain  power  and  prosperity.  Accept  my  most  heartfelt 
wishes  for  the  happiness  of  your  reign,  and  trust,  in  every  situa 
tion,  to  my  fraternal  affection.  The  deptuation  sent  to  me  by 
your  Majesty  has  honourably  fulfilled  its  mission.  I  have  re 
quested  them  to  carry  back  to  your  Majesty  the  assurance  of  my 
most  sincere  attachment. 

On  this,  I  pray  to  God,  Monsieur  mon  frere,  that  he  may 
keep  you  in  his  holy  and  honourable  care. 

*  This  letter  was  to  be  given  to  Joseph  by  the  deputation  sent  by  him  to 
compliment  the  Emperor  on  the  New  Year.  Hence  its  official  form. — ED. 


234  WAR  BETWEEN  TURKEY  AND  RUSSIA.  CHAP.  VIIL 

[273.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Warsaw,  Jan.  30, 180T. 

My  Brother, — Turkey  has  declared  war  against  Russia,  as 
you  will  see  by  the  bulletin  of  to-day.  A  Tartar  who  left  Con 
stantinople  on  the  3rd  of  January  brings  me  the  most  favourable 
news. 

1,000,000  francs  in  gold  has  been  sent  from  Turin  to  Naples. 
My  health  has  never  been  so  good,  as  the  ladies  have  found. 


[274.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Leibstadt,  Feb.  21, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  28th  of 
January.  I  see  no  objection  to  G-eneral  Macdonald's  entering 
your  service  retaining  the  rank  of  a  French  general.  You  tell 
me  that  Marshal  Jourdan  has  140,000  francs  a-year,  and  yet  is 
not  satisfied :  what  do  you  wish  me  to  do  for  him  ?*  I  have 
ordered  1,000,000  francs  to  be  sent  to  you.  I  will  send  you 
whatever  I  can,  but  in  my  present  situation  I  am  obliged  to 
incur  many  expenses.  M.  Roederer  will  have  no  peace  till  he 
has  convinced  you  that  I  can  send  to  you  a  great  deal  of  money. 


[275.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  Feb.  22, 1807. 

My  Brother, — The  sinking  fund  has  only  enough  for  its 
ordinary  purposes ;  it  cannot  lend.f  I  have,  however,  sent  you 
a  million,  and  ordered  you  to  have  another. 

[276.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  Feb.  23, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  2nd  of 
February.  I  have  read  the  papers  relating  to  the  infamous 
assassination  of  the  blind  French  soldiers  on  their  return  from 

*  Marshal  Jourdan  did  not-  complain  that  he  was  badly  paid,  but  that  he 
had  nothing  to  do. — ED. 

f  Joseph  had  requested  a  loan  of  ten  millions  of  francs  from  the  sinking 
fond.— TR. 


MABCH,  1807.  JOSEPHS  DEMANDS.  235 

Egypt.     It  is  horrible.     All  the  evidence  should  be  printed  in 
French  and  in  Italian.     It  will  be  an  historical  document. 


[277.]  JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON.* 

Naples,  Jan.  14, 180T. 

Sire, — I  send  General  Caesar  Berthier  to  your  Majesty.  He 
will  inform  your  Majesty  fully  as  to  the  state  of  the  aJmy.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  he  will  obtain  from  your  Majesty  all  that  is 
necessary  to  enable  us  to  deserve  your  Majesty's  confidence. 

That  is  to  say, — 

1.  A  loan,  or  a  gift,  of  10,000,000. 

2.  A  monthly  sum  paid  regularly,  here,  or  in  Paris,  were  it 
only  1,000,000. 

3.  A  promotion  of  the  brigadier-generals,  colonels,  and  officers 
of  the  corps  which  have  had  none  since  the  campaign  of  Aus- 
terlitz. 

4.  The  decoration  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  which  your  Ma 
jesty  allowed  to  be  hoped  for  by  the  corps  which  carried  on  the 
siege  of  Gaeta,  and  to  which  you  may  think  the  troops  who  made 
the  Calabrian  campaign  entitled. 

Many  regiments,  Sire,  have  lost  a  third  of  their  numbers  by 
fatigue,  sickness,  and  battle.  Their  complaints  and  their  impor 
tunities  to  be  allowed  to  go  to  the  grand  army  have  forced  me  to 
take  this  step.  The  letters  which  they  receive  from  their  com 
rades,  the  promotions  of  which  they  hear,  the  prodigious  victories 
of  your  Majesty,  the  painful  and  obscure  war  in  which  they  are 
engaged  here,  the  erection  of  the  Madeleine,  in  which  they  have 
no  part,  although  they  feel  that  this  war  is  as  severe  as  that  of 
those  in  whose  honour  it  is  raised, — all  these  things  discourage 
them.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  you  should  do  something 
to  reanimate  their  spirits.  What  I  ask  for  will  have  that  effect. 
There  is  not  a  private  who  does  not  feel  that  this  country  cannot 
provide  for  the  army,  or  who  does  not  think  that,  when  he  is  left 
to  the  resources  which  it  can  furnish,  he  is  abandoned. 

*  This  letter  is  inserted  to  render  the  next  intelligible. — TK. 


236  POLISH  CAMPAIGN.  CHAP.  VIIL 

[278.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  March  1, 1807.* 

My  Brother, — I  send  back  to  you  General  Caesar  Berthier. 
I  leave  you  to  appoint  whom  you  please  Minister  of  War,  or 
Chief  of  the  Staff  of  my  army  at  Naples.  I  have  given  the 
Legion  of  Honour  to  the  men  whom  you  suggested  to  me.  I  was 
sorry  to  see  that  you  proposed  M.  de  Bouille,  who  has  never  been 
in  battle.  This  is  the  way  in  which  I  am  forced  to  give  unde 
served  rewards.  I  have  appointed  Colonels  Huart,  Abbee,  and 
Cardeneau,  brigadier-generals.  I  have  promoted  Steinhaut  of 
the  4th  chasseurs  to  be  colonel,  and  given  companies  to  Lieuten 
ants  Rrederer  and  Clary. 

I  refer  you  to  Csesar  Berthier  as  to  your  comparison  of  the 
services  of  the  army  of  Naples  to  those  of  the  grand  army. 
Neither  the  staff,  nor  the  colonels,  nor  the  other  regimental 
officers  have  taken  their  clothes  off  for  the  last  two  months,  some 
not  for  four  months  (I  myself  have  been  a  fortnight  without 
taking  off  my  boots),  in  the  middle  of  snow  and  mud,  without 
bread,  wine,  or  brandy,  living  on  potatoes  and  meat,  making  long 
marches  and  countermarches  without  any  sort  of  comfort,  fighting 
with  our  bayonets  frequently  under  grape-shot ;  the  wounded 
obliged  to  be  removed  in  sledges,  in  the  open  air,  to  a  distance 
of  fifty  leagues.  To  compare  us  with  the  army  of  Naples,  mak 
ing  war  in  that  beautiful  country,  where  they  have  bread,  wine, 
oil,  linen,  sheets  to  their  beds,  society,  and  even  women,  looks  like 
an  attempt  at  a  joke.  After  having  destroyed  the  Prussian 
monarchy,  we  are  fighting  against  the  remnant  of  the  Prussians, 
against  Russians,  Cossacks,  and  Kalmucks,  and  the  tribes  of  the 
north,  who  formerly  conquered  the  Roman  empire.  "We  have  war 
in  all  its  fierceness  and  all  its  horrors.  In  such  fatigues  every 
one  has  been  more  or  less  ill,  except  myself,  for  I  never  was 
stronger ;  I  have  grown  fat. 

I  see  from  your  returns  that  you  have  53,000  men  effective, 
and  43,000  present  under  arms.  This  is  more  than  you  want. 

*  This  letter  was  written  three  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Eylau.— TR. 


MAECH,  1807.  CHARACTEE  OF  EOEDEEEB.  237 

You  have  before  you  an  effective  force  of  only  18,000  English,  of 
whom  there  are  not  10,000  present  under  arms.  The  Russians 
have  something  else  to  do  than  to  meddle  with  you.  The  im 
mense  levies  that  I  am  making  in  France  and  Italy  prevent  my 
sending  you  money.  Would  you  have  thought  that,  in  spite  of 
my  large  possessions,  I  should  have  just  been  forced  to  spend 
12,000,000  francs  in  buying  horses  in  France  ?  Such  a  war  as  I 
am  engaged  in  consumes  both  men  and  materials ;  immense  sums 
are  requisite  merely  to  repair  my  losses.  I  am  obliged  to  keep 
up  a  considerable  army  of  observation  in  Italy.  I  must  pay 
numerous  bodies  of  national  guards  to  watch  my  coasts,  for  my 
coasts  and  my  harbours  are  blockaded  like  yours.  All  the  assist 
ance  that  I  can  give  you  is  this  :  6000  men  from  the  depots  of 
your  army,  well  armed  and  equipped,  are  in  march  to  reinforce 
your  regiments ;  3000  more  will  start  on  the  15th  of  April,  which 
will  make  a  reinforcement  of  9000  men.  Since  January  I  have 
sent  you  1,000,000  francs,  which  was  all  that  I  had  left  in  my  little 
treasury  in  Turin.  I  have  ordered  500,000  francs  a  month  to  be 
sent  to  you  during  April,  May,  June,  July,  August,  September, 
October,  and  November,  which  will  amount  to  4,000,000  francs. 

On  looking  at  M.  Roederer's  report  I  am  convinced  that  you 
have  immense  resources.  "When  you  have  to  pay  26  millions  on 
account  of  a  national  debt,  there  are  at  once  26  millions  to  be  got 
by  merely  stopping  payment  for  one  year.  Your  Neapolitan 
army  is  too  expensive.  But  what  does  M.  Roederer  mean  by 
talking  of  a  sinking  fund  ?  What  business  have  you  with  such 
nonsense  ?  Your  business  is  to  pay  your  army.  Is  it  possible 
that  in  a  country  which  is  not  yet  consolidated  by  the  recognition 
of  Europe  or  by  peace,  the  establishment  of  such  institutions 
should  be  thought  of  ?  M.  Rosderer  is  in  a  position  unfavourable 
to  your  interests.  He  wants  to  put  his  theories  into  execution, 
and  to  make  himself  popular  in  the  country  by  endeavouring  to 
relieve  it. 

Create  no  orders  of  knighthood  ;  found  no  new  financial  insti 
tutions.  All  these  things  should  be  done  in  time  of  peace. 
Everything  will  come  with  peace,  and  peace  will  come  in  time. 
One  cannot  make  a  man  of  imagination  like  M.  Roederer  under- 


238  SUPPLIES  OF  MEN  TO  NAPLES.  CHAP.  VIII, 

stand  that  the  great  art  is  to  be  governed  by  time ;  that  what 
ouglit  not  to  be  done  till  1810  cannot  be  done  in  1807.  The 
Gallic  temperament  cannot  submit  to  wait  upon  time,  and  yet  it 
is  by  doing  so  that  I  have  gained  all  my  success.  I  might  say  of 
Dumas  what  I  have  said  of  Rcederer.  They  are  men  who  never 
have  had,  and  never  will  have,  the  prudence  to  be  governed  by 
time ;  who  will  do  to-morrow  what  ought  not  to  be  done  till  the 
day  after,  and  will  never  know  how  to  extricate  you  from  your 
difficulties.  A  man  like  Salicetti  would  have  made  a  good 
Minister  of  Finance.  Pay  your  army  first ;  it  is  a  sacred  debt. 
Allow  no  complaining.  With  the  French  you  must  show  firm 
ness.  The  army  of  Naples  has  no  cause  for  murmuring.  Say 
to  them,  "  Do  you  complain  ?  ask  General  Berthier,  he  will  tell 
you  that  your  Emperor  has  been  living  for  weeks  upon  potatoes, 
and  bivouacking  in  the  snows  of  Poland.  You  may  judge  from 
this  of  what  happens  to  the  officers ;  they  get  nothing  to  eat  but 
mere  meat ! " 

[  279.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  March  5, 1807. 

My  Brother, — You  will  find  annexed  the  report  which  has 
been  made  to  me  of  the  despatch  of  4600  men  to  your  army,  to 
reinforce  your  companies.  As  soon  as  they  arrive,  send  back  the 
officers  and  non-commissioned  officers,  and  incorporate  these  de 
tachments  into  your  regiments. 


[280.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  March  11, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  20th  of 
February.  The  English  squadron  is  before  Constantinople.  I 
have  news  up  to  the  10th  to  the  effect  that  the  English  ambas 
sador  has  left  that  capital.  We  shall  see  now  how  this  will  turn 
out. 

[281.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  March  12, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  the  orders  which  I  have  just  given 
for  1600  men  to  join  you  in  the  course  of  April.  Take  care  to 
incorporate  them  into  your  regiments  as  soon  as  they  arrive, 


MARCH,  1807.  NAPOLEON  ASKS  FOR  SUPPLIES.  239 

and  to  send  back  the  officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  to 
your  depots. 

[282.]  NAPOLEON  TO  TALLEYRAND. 

Osterode,  March  12,  T  P.M. 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  10th.  I  have  300,000 
rations  of  biscuit  in  Warsaw.  From  Warsaw  to  Osterode  is  8 
days'  journey.  Do  miracles  to  enable  me  to  have  sent  to  me 
every  day  50,000  rations  of  biscuit  and  2000  pints  of  brandy. 
The  success  of  the  greatest  combinations,  indeed  the  fate  of 
Europe,  depends  on  a  question  of  subsistence.  To  beat  the 
Russians,  if  I  have  bread,  is  child's  play.  I  have  millions,  and 
I  am  ready  to  pay.  Whatever  means  you  employ,  I  admit  to  be 
good,  if,  on  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  you  send  to  me  overland, 
by  Meaza  and  Zakroskin,  50,000  rations  of  biscuit  and  2000 
pints  of  brandy.  80  waggons  a  day,  which  I  am  willing  to  pay 
with  their  weight  in  gold,  are  enough.  If  the  patriotism  of  the 
Poles  cannot  do  this,  they  are  not  worth  much.  This  matter  is 
more  important  than  all  the  negotiations  in  the  world.  Call 
together  the  Commissary,  the  Governor,  General  Lemarrois,  and 
the  most  influential  members  of  the  government.  Spend  money. 
I  approve  of  everything.  Biscuit  and  brandy  are  all  that  we 
want.  These  300,000  rations  of  biscuit,  and  these  18,000  or 
20,000  pints  of  brandy,  if  they  reach  us  in  a  few  days,  will  spoil 
the  combinations  of  all  the.  hostile  powers.* 


[  283.  ]  NAPOLEON  TO  TALLEYRAND. 

Osterode,  March,  180T. 

It  is  true  that  Andreossyf  is  not  a  man  of  talent  or  a  first- 
rate  observer,  and  perhaps  he  exaggerates  what  he  perceives ;  but 
you  are  credulous ;  it  is  as  easy  to  seduce  you  as  you  find  it  easy 
to  seduce  others.  Any  one  can  deceive  you  by  flattering  you. 
M.  de  Vincent  caresses  you  to  cheat  you.  Austria  fears  us,  but 

*  Thiers,  vol.  vii.  p.  412. 

t  Andreossy  was  the  French  Minister  in  Vienna,  and  reported  the 
increasing  hostility  of  Austria.  Vincent  was  the  Austrian  Minister  in 
Warsaw. 


240  CONDUCT  OF  AUSTEIA.  CHAP.  VIII. 

she  hates  us.  She  is  arming  in  the  hope  of  profiting  by  our 
defeat.  If  we  conquer,  she  will  act  as  M.  d'Haugwitz  did  one 
day  after  Austerlitz,  and  you  will  seem  to  have  been  right.  But 
if  the  event  be  doubtful,  we  shall  find  her  in  arms  on  our  rear. 
But  she  must  be  forced  to  explain  herself.  She  is  making  indeed 
a  great  mistake  in  not  joining  us,  now  that  we  are  masters  of 
Prussia,  and  can  restore  to  her  what  Frederic  took  from  her.  In 
a  single  day  she  might  be  repaid  for  all  that  she  has  lost  during 
the  last  half-century,  and  recover  what  she  has  been  deprived  of 
by  Prussia  and  by  France.  But  she  must  speak  out. 

Does  she  wish  for  indemnities  ?     I  offer  her  Silesia. 

Is  she  alarmed  at  the  state  of  the  East?  I  will  put  her  at  her 
ease  as  respects  the  low  Danube  by  putting  Moldavia  and  Wal- 
lachia  at  her  disposition. 

Does  our  presence  in  Dalmatia  disturb  her  ?  I  am  ready  to 
make  any  sacrifices  there,  receiving  an  equivalent. 

Or,  in  short,  is  she  preparing  to  make  war,  to  try  again  her 
strength  against  us,  when  we  are  fighting  all  the  rest  of  the 
Continent  ?  Be  it  so.  I  am  ready  for  my  new  enemy.  But  let 
her  not  think  to  surprise  me.  Only  women  or  children  can 
suppose  that  I  shall  bury  myself  in  the  wilds  of  Russia  without 
having  taken  proper  precautions.  Austria  will  not  find  me 
unready.  She  will  find  in  Saxony,  in  Bavaria,  and  in  Italy 
armies  to  resist  her. 

She  will  find  me  fall  back  on  her  with  all  my  weight,  crush 
her,  and  punish  her  more  severely  than  I  have  punished  any  of 
the  kingdoms  that  I  have  conquered.  For  her  faithlessness  I 
will  make  her  an  example  more  striking,  more  terrible  than 
anything  which  is  suggested  even  by  the  present  state  of 
Prussia.  Let  her  explain  herself.  Let  me  know  what  she 


*  Thiers,  vol.  vii.  p.  461. 

I  have  inserted  these  letters  from  Napoleon  to  Talleyrand,  then  his 
Minister  at  Warsaw,  as  they  show  the  difficulties  with  which  he  had  to 
contend,  and  for  how  little,  among  those  difficulties,  he  reckoned  the 
Russian  army ;  and  as  showing  also  the  nature  of  his  relations  at  this  time 
with  Austria.  The  second  letter  is  a  splendid  exhibition  of  sober,  resolute, 
calculating  audacity. — TR. 


MARCH,  180T.  JOSEPH'S  GUARD.  241 

[284.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  March  14, 1807. 

My  Brother, — Send  back  to  Toulon  the  battalions  which 
you  have  of  the  32nd  infantry ;  this  will  diminish  your  army  by 
only  400  men  and  will  enable  me  to  recast  that  regiment. 


£285.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  March  20, 180T. 

My  Brother, — The  conscripts  who  have  reached  you  in 
police  caps  are  without  doubt  those  who  have  been  sent  from  the 
army  of  Italy.  I  have  expressed  my  displeasure  at  their  not 
having  been  sent  to  you  properly  armed  and  equipped.  It  is 
impossible  that  you  should  take  conscripts  for  your  guard.*  M. 
Dejean  is  not  authorised  to  change  the  destination  of  a  single 
conscript ;  but  I  have  written  to  M.  Lacuee  to  take  100  con 
scripts  from  the  levy  of  each  year,  under  the  title  of  General 
Depot  of  Naples,  for  you  to  place  in  your  guard.  You  will 
annoy  me  much  if  you  take  those  who  are  intended  for  the 
regiments ;  it  serves  as  a  pretext  to  the  colonels  for  committing 
abuses.  You  have  withdrawn  the  best  companies  from  my 
cavalry  regiments  for  your  guard;  this  will  disorganise  them- 
Recollect  that  it  takes  six  campaigns  to  form  the  character  of  a 
regiment,  and  that  it  can  be  destroyed  in  one  moment.  You 
hav  e  a  great  deal  of  cavalry  ;  send  two  more  regiments  to  Italy, 
for  I  intend  to  withdraw  from  thence  most  of  the  cavalry.  For 
all  whom  you  send  to  me,  Neapolitans  or  others,  employment  will 
be  found  here. 

[  286.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Osterode,  March  20, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  cannot  help  being  extremely  displeased 
with  the  manner  in  which  you  disorganise  my  regiments.  You 
have  taken  the  best  companies  of  the  cavalry  to  form  your  guard, 

*  Joseph,  in  order  to  keep  up  his  guard,  had  proposed  to  take  for  it  every 
year  100  of  the  conscripts  sent  from  France  to  reinforce  the  French  army  in 
Naples. — TR. 
VOL.  I.— 11 


242  AFFAIKS  IN  TUEKET.  CHAP.  VIII. 

so  that  the  regiments  to  which  they  belonged  have  lost  their 
staple,  and  are  no  longer  of  any  service.  This  is  the  way  to 
make  a  few  men  of  very  little  use,  and  a  great  many  altogether 
useless.  My  purpose,  which  I  announce  to  you  as  Commander- 
in- Chief  of  my  army,  is  not  to  allow  even  a  drummer-boy  to 
leave  my  regiments  without  my  order.  Dumas'  attempt  is 
absurd.  He  is  taking  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  form  bad 
Neapolitan  regiments,  which  will  be  the  first  to  fire  on  you  if  any 
disaster  should  occur ;  and,  what  is  the  worst  of  all,  my  army  is 
disorganised  in  order  to  form  a  heap  of  establishments. 


[  287.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Castle  of  Finckenstein,  April  13, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  13th  of 
March.  I  see  with  pleasure  that  your  troops  are  in  good  health, 
and  that  all  goes  on  well  with  you.  Pay  attention  to  the 
discipline  of  your  army;  one  month's  relaxation  will  cause 
mischief  which  can  be  repaired  only  by  six  months  of  incessant 
care.  If  you  form  a  camp,  place  it  between  Naples  and  Calabria. 
It  woulcl  be  absurd  to  do  anything  which  might  suggest  the 
possibility  of  your  evacuating  the  capital.  It  is  probable  that  the 
6000  English  who  left  Sicily  have  returned  to  the  Atlantic ;  I 
expect,  however,  information  on  the  subject.  We  are  here  in 
the  midst  of  snow,  while  in  your  part  of  the  world  the  sun  is 
perhaps  becoming  too  hot.  I  have  this  instant  received  letters 
dated  the  3rd  of  March  from  Constantinople.  The  English  have 
completely  failed,  and  the  Ottoman  empire  shows  an  energy 
which  is  most  important  to  me,  and  confounds  our  common 
enemies.  The  English  have  suffered  a  check  which  they  will 
feel  sensibly. 

[  288.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckenstein,  April  14, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  26th  of 
March.  I  have  appointed  Colonel  t)estr<§es  Brigadier  General. 
Since  you  wish  me  to  tell  you  what  I  think  of  your  proceedings 


APRIL,  1SOT.  FINE  WRITING  IN  STATE  PAPERS.  243 

at  Naples,  I  own  that  I  was  not  very  well  pleased  with  the 
preamble  to  the  decree  suppressing  the  convents.*  In  what 
concerns  religion  the  language  employed  should  be  in  a  religious 
and  not  in  a  philosophical  spirit.  You  should  display  the 
talents  of  a  ruler,  not  those  of  an  author  or  of  a  man  of  letters. 
Why  talk  of  the  services  which  the  monks  have  rendered  to  the 
arts  and  to  science  ?  Their  merit  does  not  consist  in  those 
services,  but  in  their  administration  of  the  consolations  of  religion. 
This  preamble  is  entirely  philosophical,  which  is  not  what  was 
wanted.  You  seem  to  me  to  insult  those  whom  you  expel. 
The  preamble  ought  to  have  been  in  accordance  with  the  monacal 
system.  Disagreeable  things  are  better  endured  from  one  who 
agrees  with  you  than  from  a  person  who  differs.  You  ought  to 
have  said  that  the  number  of  the  monks  made  their  subsistence 
difficult ;  that  the  dignity  of  their  profession  required  that  they 
should  all  be  well  supported ;  that  for  that  purpose  a  part  must 
be  removed ;  that  some  must  be  preserved,  because  they  are 
required  for  the  administration  of  the  sacraments,  and  that  others 
must  be  released,  &c.  &c.  As  a  general  principle,  I  distrust  a 
government  which  deals  in  fine  writing.  Each  decree  ought  to 
have  its  own  appropriate  and  professional  style  ;  a  well-informed 
monk,  approving  the  suppression,  would  have  expressed  himself 
differently.  People  bear  injury  when  unaccompanied  by  insult 
and  when  the  blow  does  not  appear  to  come  from  an  enemy. 
Now  the  enemies  of  the  monacal  profession  are  literary  men  and 
philosophers.  You  know  that  I  am  myself  not  fond  of  them, 
since  I  have  destroyed  them  wherever  I  could. 

An  English  vessel,  which  was  carrying  25,000  muskets  to 
Palermo,  has  been  shipwrecked  on  the  coast  of  Spain ;  this  event 
must  be  considered  as  fortunate,  for  there  is  a  great  deficiency 
of  arms  in  Europe. 

*  The  preamble  stated  in  effect  that  the  religious  orders,  which  once 
•were  the  preservers  of  knowledge  and  reasoning,  had  become  unnecessary. 
That  the  attention  of  the  present  age  was  directed  towards  art,  science, 
military,  colonial,  and  commercial  objects.  That  the  expense  required 
for  these  purposes  obliged  economy  in  other  things.  Wherefore,  &c. 


244  SIEGE  OF  DANTZIC.  CHAP.  VIII 

[289.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckenstein,  April  18, 1S07. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  29th  of 
March,  and  I  thank  you  for  all  that  you  say.  Peace  is  a  mar 
riage  which  depends  on  a  union  of  inclinations.*  If  we  must 
still  fight,  I  am  ready.  You  will  see  oy  my  message  to  the  Senate 
that  I  am  raising  fresh  troops. f  I  am  not  of  your  opinion,  that 
you  are  beloved  by  the  Neapolitans.  This  is  the  test :  If  there 
were  not  one  Frenchman  in  Naples,  would  you  be  able  to  raise 
30,000  men  to  defend  yourself  against  the  English  and  the  party 
of  the  Queen  ?  As  I  am  sure  of  the  contrary,  I  cannjt  think  as 
you  do.  No  doubt  your  people  will  become  attached  to  you ;  but 
it  will  be  after  eight  or  ten  years  of  peace,  when  you  know  them, 
and  they  know  you ;  attachment  with  a  nation  means  esteem, 
and  they  esteem  their  sovereign  when  he  is  dreaded  by  the  bad, 
and  when  the  good  regard  him  with  confidence.  He  then  may 
count  on  their  fidelity  and  assistance. 

Like  you,  I  thought  the  Luxembourg  fete  absurd.  I  heard  of 
it  too  late,  or  I  should  have  prevented  it.  Being  unable  to  do  so 
in  time,  I  have  let  the  thing  pass  without  saying  any  thing  about 
it,  and  you  should  do  the  same.  It  is  the  fault  of  the  Queen, 
who  is  too  indulgent ;  she  ought  to  have  said  that  it  was  not 
suitable. 

By  this  time  you  are  eating  green  peas  at  Naples,  and  per 
haps  you  find  shade  agreeable.  We  are  still  as  if  we  were  in  the 
month  of  January.  We  have  opened  the  trenches  before  Dantzic ; 
100  siege-guns  have  begun  to  be  collected  there.  The  works  are 
at  120  yards  from  the  place,  which  is  garrisoned  by  6000  Rus 
sians  and  20,000  Prussians,  commanded  by  General  Kalkreuth. 

*  In  the  letter  to  which  this  is  an  answer  Joseph  had  expressed  a  belief 
that  he  was  really  loved  by  his  new  subjects.  He  had  ventured  to  recommend 
Napoleon  to  make  peace  on  any  terms  (faire  la  paix  a  tout  prix).  He  had 
also  complained  that  Cambaceres  had  given  a  fete  in  the  Luxembourg,  in  the 
apartments  of  the  Queen  of  Naples. — TR. 

t  He  called  out  in  March,  1807,  the  conscription  of  3808.— TR. 


AVKIL,  180T.  SIEGE  OF  DANTZIC.  245 

I  hope  to  take  it  within  a  fortnight,  and  this  capture  will  be  of 
some  service  to  me.     In  short,  you  need  have  no  uneasiness. 


[290.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckenstein,  April  24, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  2nd  of 
April.  I  am  glad  that  you  are  satisfied  with  the  disposition  of 
your  people.  The  fire  opened  upon  Dantzic  this  morning.  There 
are  80  pieces  of  cannon,  and  the  batteries  are  at  80  yards  from 
the  place.  The  Emperor  of  Russia  has  joined  his  army.  It 
seems  that  a  grand  council  of  war  deliberated  on  attempting  to 
raise  the  blockade  of  Dantzic ;  but  they  were  afraid,  and  kept 
quiet.  I  devote  all  my  exertions  to  taking  that  place,  which 
will  yield  me  18,000  prisoners,  and  will  place  an  army  of  25,000 
men  again  at  my  disposal. 


[291.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckenstein,  May  2, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  15th  of 
April.  I  see  that  you  have  named  General  Lamarque  Chief  of 
the  Stan7 ;  and  that  you  have  given  the  command  of  a  division 
on  the  coast  to  General  Berthier.  I  approve  of  these  appoint 
ments.  I  advise  you  to  withdraw  none  of  my  troops,  whether 
ofiicers  or  privates,  to  make  them  enter  the  army  of  Naples. 
Every  corps  returning  from  Naples  is  no  more  than  a  skeleton, 
because  the  old  soldiers  have  been  removed ;  this  does  much 
harm.  You  speak  in  your  letter  of  the  9th  of  April  of  a  report 
upon  Sicily,  which  they  have  forgotten  to  annex.  Can  I  have 
the  1st  Neapolitan  regiment  sent  to  the  Grand  Army  ?  It  is 
the  only  way  to  form  the  Neapolitan  troops.  I  am  glad  that 
you  have  dispatched  the  32nd  light  infantry  to  Italy ;  I  shall 
send  it  on  to  Toulon  to  be  reorganized. 


246  SELECTED  TROOPS.  CHAP.  VIIL 

[292.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckenstein,  May  4, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  15th  of 
April.  I  do  not  doubt  that  in  time  M.  Roederer  may  become  all 
that  you  say.*  When  a  man  gets  accustomed  to  affairs,  he 
despises  theory,  or  uses  it  only  as  the  geometers  do,  not  to  walk 
in  a  mathematically  straight  line,  but  to  keep  in  the  same  direc 
tion.  However,  I  believe  in  M.  Roederer's  attachment,  in  his 
honesty,  and  in  his  intelligence ;  but  will  his  imagination  ever  be 
tamed  down  to  business  ?  This  can  be  proved  only  by  experience. 
In  your  correspondence  with  my  ministers  f  you  must  expect  to 
be  treated  as  Commander-in- Chief  of  my  army,  and  to  hear  of 
my  displeasure  whenever  the  rules  of  administration  are  not  fol 
lowed.  For  instance,  it  has  annoyed  me  a  little  that  several  of 
my  corps  have  been  in  some  measure  disorganised.  I  do  not 
value  my  army  by  its  numbers,  but  by  the  men  of  experience 
and  bravery  that  it  contains.  The  whole  army  of  France  is 
unable  to  furnish  my  guard  without  being  somewhat  enfeebled  in 
spirit.  Consider  then  the  harm  which  has  been  done  to  the  armies 
of  Holland  and  Naples  by  the  loss  of  the  men  who  have  been 
taken  for  the  guards  of  those  two  countries.  I  could  mention  a 
regiment,  once  excellent,  which  the  King  of  Holland  has  ruined 
for  me ;  it  is  now  worth  nothing :  but  that  now  belongs  to  the 
past.  I  will  send  you  as  many  French  conscripts  as  you  like ; 
but  I  entreat  you  to  take  care  of  the  regiments  belonging  to  the 
army  of  Naples,  and  to  keep  them  in  good  order.  You  must 
resent  any  chattering  or  manifestation  of  discontent.  I  think 
that  the  habit  of  governing  will,  with  your  natural  good  sense 
and  abilities,  strengthen  your  character,  and  render  you  capable 

*  M.  Rcederer  was  the  subject  of  a  running  dispute  between  Napoleon  and 
Joseph ;  Napoleon,  who  never  overcame  a  prejudice,  always  sneering  at  him 
as  a  theorist  and  a  philosopher  j  Joseph,  who  never  abandoned  a  friend,  de 
fending  him  as  a  man  not  only  of  integrity  and  diligence,  but  of  sound  practi 
cal  sense. — TR. 

t  Joseph  had  complained  that  he  received  rebukes  from  the  Emperor  and 
from  his  ministers. — TR. 


MAY,  180T.  JEEOME  AND  LOUIS.  247 

of  conducting  this  vast  machine,  if  it  should  be  your  lot  to  sur 
vive  me. 

Prince  Jerome  is  doing  well ;  I  am  very  much  pleased  with 
him,  and  am  greatly  deceived  if  there  is  not  stuff  in  him  to  make 
a  first-rate  man.  You  may  be  sure,  however,  that  he  has  no  idea 
that  I  think  so,  for  in  my  letters  I  do  nothing  but  find  fault  with 
him.  He  is  adored  in  Silesia.  I  placed  him  there  purposely  in 
a  distant  and  independent  command,  because  I  do  not  believe  in 
the  proverb  that  it  is  necessary  to  know  how  to  obey  in  order  to 
know  how  to  command. 

I  am  not  ill-pleased  with  Louis ;  but  he  is  too  kin  d  for  the 
dignity  of  a  crown.  He  does  not  pay  much  attention  to  my 
advice ;  nevertheless,  I  continue  to  give  it  to  him,  and  wXpe- 
rience  will  soon  teach  him  that  much  of  what  he  has  been  doing 
was  wrong.  I  blamed  the  institution  of  his  order,  not  that  I 
objected  to  it  in  itself,  but  it  was  premature ;  for  how  could  he 
avoid  giving  it  to  the  persons  by  whom  he  was  surrounded  ? 
and  how  set  this  indelible  stamp  upon  men  who  were  unknown 
to  him,  and  who  at  the  first  reverse  perhaps  will  show  themselves 
to  be  worthless  ?  This  remark  is  likewise  for  your  benefit ;  you 
must  feel  its  force.  Wait  till  you  know  something  of  the  men 
who  surround  you.  A  king  must  not  institute  an  order  as  he 
arranges  a  hunting-party,  as  a  mere  amusement.  It  must  be 
attached  to  some  great  recollection.  Your  coronation  will  be  a 
memorable  epoch ;  all  Europe  will  then  be  at  peace.  Louis  has 
also  just  permitted  the  Dutch  ladies  to  reassume  their  titles,  they 
are  given  to  them  even  by  his  chamberlains.  I  was  very  angry 
with  him.  Nor  was  I  satisfied  with  his  quoting  to  me  your 
example,  as  if  there  were  anything  in  common  between  a  king 
dom  like  yours  and  a  republic  which  has  undergone  as  many  trials 
as  France.  If  you  have  occasion  to  write,  say  something  to  him 
about  it ;  for,  as  all  this  is  supposed  to  be  done  by  my  advice,  it 
has  a  bad  effect  in  France.  As  I  do  not  intend  to  re-establish 
the  old  titles  in  France,  I  will  not  have  them  restored  in  a  coun 
try  to  which  I  have  guaranteed  a  constitutional  government,  and 
whose  fortunes  have  so  much  resembled  those  of  France. 

It  would  be  proper  to  have  a  cipher  between  you  and  me; 


248  COINAGE  FOE  NAPLES.  CHAP.  VIIL 

and  I  have  written  to  M.  Talleyrand  to  send  you  one.  My 
health  is  very  good.  We  begin,  at  last,  to  perceive  the  approaches 
of  spring.  The  siege  of  Dantzic  is  advancing.  We  have  80 
guns  placed  in  battery ;  we  ought  to  occupy  the  covered  way  and 
pass  the  ditch  in  two  or  three  days. 

I  recommend  the  principality  of  Benevento  to  your  care. 
Treat  it  well,  for  I  should  be  sorry  if  you  were  to  do  anything 
to  annoy  the  Prince,  with  whom  I  am  perfectly  well  satisfied. 


[293.3  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckenstein,  May  6, 1807. 

My  Brother, — If  you  have  money  coined,  I  wish  you  to 
adopt  the  same  set  of  values  as  in  the  coins  of  France ;  and  that 
you  place  the  arms  of  your  kingdom  on  one  side,  and  your  own 
head  upon  the  other.  I  have  already  done  this  for  my  kingdom 
of  Italy ;  and  the  Princes  of  the  Confederation  do  the  same.  In 
this  manner  there  will  be  a  uniform  coinage  throughout  Europe, 
which  will  be  a  great  advantage  to  trade.  It  might  be  as  well 
to  inscribe  the  value  of  the  coin  by  way  of  legend,  as  for  ex 
ample— "  Napoleon  de  20  fr.n 


[294.3  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finekenstein,  May  19,180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  seen  General  Mathieu ;  I  let  him  know 
that  I  was  sorry  that  the  English  were  established  on  the  Conti 
nent.  You  should  take  Scylla,  if  possible,  and  then  fortify  it, 
and  place  in  it  a  good  garrison,  provisioned  for  three  months. 
You  should  keep  only  a  few  troops  in  Lower  Calabria.  On  an 
invasion,  all  the  troops  that  are  requisite  for  the  defence  of  that 
province  should  retire  upon  Scylla.  Nine  hundred  men,  infantry, 
gendarmerie,  or  artillery,  will  keep  you  in  possession  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  province,  and  will  form  the  garrison  of  Scylla, 
which  might  hold  out  for  more  than  a  month,  during  which  time 
the  army  would  relieve  it. 

Among  the  plans  which  you  have  sent  to  me  I  do  not  see  one 
for  Castellamare ;  it  is  to  that  place  that  I  am  most  inclined. 


MAT,  1807.  PROPOSED  FORTRESS.  249 

The  position  cannot  be  more  unfavourable  than  that  of  Genoa ; 
and  Genoa  is  reckoned  a  good  fortress.  In  mountainous  situa 
tions,  the  good  positions  generally  resolve  themselves  into  two  or 
three,  which  alone  are  susceptible  of  defence.  My  intention  is, 
that  the  fortress  should  be  also  a  seaport ;  you  have  three — 
Naples,  Castellamare,  and  Taranto.  I  prefer  Castellamare  to  the 
others,  because  I  would  establish  lines  of  fortification  closing  the 
isthmus  of  Amalfi,  and  construct  in  the  island  of  Capri  a  fort 
which  would  command  the  fishery  and  the  coast  of  Naples,  and 
be  within  reach  of  succours  from  Toulon.  I  take  it  for  granted 
that  in  two  or  three  years,  and  with  7  or  8  million  francs,  these 
ends  might  easily  be  accomplished  at  Castellamare,  although  it 
would  afterwards  require  a  labour  of  20  years  to  complete  it. 
What  enemy  would  undertake  to  take  Naples  if  he  had  not  a 
sufficient  force  to  take  Castellamare  ?  and  what  force  would  be 
sufficient  to  take  Castellamare,  if  the  isthmus  and  the  place  were 
defended  by  18,000  or  20,000  men  ?  It  would  require  an  army 
of  at  least  50,000  men.  You  will  ask  me  how  the  kingdom  of 
Naples  is  to  obtain  these  20,000  men.  Why,  as  you  will  have 
the  crews  of  your  men-of-war  and  of  the  French  ships  sent 
thither  in  order  to  revictual  the  place,  the  Royal  guard,  the 
main  body  of  the  Neapolitan  army,  the  gendarmerie,  and  the 
main  body  of  the  French  auxiliary  army,  you  are  more  likely 
to  have  30.000  than  20,000  men.  One  year  of  war  in  this 
peninsula,  and  the  kingdom  of  Naples  will  be  saved.  They  say 
that  Castellamare  is  mountainous;  it  cannot  be  more  so  than 
Genoa.  Two  plans  must  therefore  be  made,  one  of  the  lines  and 
one  of  the  fortress ;  and  first  of  all,  the  plan  of  the  lines,  which 
are  to  close  up  the  isthmus.  I  am  aware  that  it  is  2  leagues  in 
breadth ;  but  the  points  of  defence  of  this  space  would  probably 
be  reduced  to  7  or  8  forts,  which,  maintained  by  an  army  of 
20,000  men,  would  not  be  easily  taken.  However,  supposing 
them  taken  at  last,  there  should  be  at  Castellamare  a  continued 
fortification  like  that  of  Genoa.  Add  to  this  a  good  fort  in  the 
island  of  Capri.  This  is  the  plan  to  which  you  should  adhere. 
Give  positive  orders  for  its  preparation ;  and  that  I  may  properly 
understand  the  situation,  employ  an  artist  to  make  a  relief  of 
VOL.  L— 11* 


250  FALL  OF  EANTZIC.  CHAP.  YII1 

the  whole  peninsula,  so  that  I  may  see  how  the  mountains  com 
mand  one  another. 

[295.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckenstein,  May  27,  1807. 

My  Brother, — I  hare  received  your  letter  of  the  10th  of  May. 
I  beg  you  to  take  care  of  my  cavalry ;  it  is  getting  ruined  at 
Naples.  The  Pacha  of  Janina  is  an  enemy  of  the  Russians,  but 
he  is  false ;  there  is  no  harm  in  your  sending  him  some  assistance, 
but  this  should  not  be  pushed  too  far ;  fair  words  will  be  enough. 
Contradict  in  the  Neapolitan  newspapers  all  the  false  reports 
which  are  spread  upon  the  affairs  of  Turkey ;  insert  a  statement 
that  Dantzic  is  taken,  and  that  I  find  there  immense  stores  of  all 
descriptions.  You  will  read  the  particulars  of  the  surrender  of 
that  place  in  the  different  bulletins.  The  Russian  expedition, 
under  the  command  of  General  Kamoreskoi,  after  having  been 
beaten,  has  re-embarked  and  disappeared.  We  are  beginning  at 
last  to  have  a  little  warm  weather  here. 


[296.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Finckcnstein,  May  28, 1807. 

My  Brother, — Address  a  letter  to  the  bishops  of  your  king 
dom  to  order  public  thanksgivings  throughout  the  territory  for 
the  successes  of  the  French  army  and  the  capture  of  Dantzic. 
Publish  in  all  your  newspapers  the  news  from  Constantinople  * 
annexed  to  this  letter.  Insert  frequent  contradictions  of  the 
evil  reports  which  the  agents  of  England  and  Russia  are  pleased 
to  disseminate. 

[  297.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tilsit,  June  20, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  am  on  the  Niemen.  The  battle  of  Fried- 
land,  which  was  fought  on  the  anniversary  of  that  of  Marengo, 
has  decided  the  contest.  The  Russian  army  has  been  destroyed; 

*  Probably  the  retreat  of  Admiral  Duckworth's  squadron,  after  an  unsuc 
cessful  attempt  to  obtain  the  alliance  of  Turkey  against  France. — TR. 


ULT,  1807.  BATTLE  OF  FBIEDLAND.  251 

you  will  doubtless  have  received  already  the  bulletins.  I  pre 
sume  that  you  will  have  a  Te  Deum  throughout  your  kingdom 
for  so  happy  an  event.  This  battle  has  been  as  decisive  as  those 
of  Marengo,  of  Austerlitz,  and  of  Jena. 


[  298.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tilsit,  June  2T.180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  concluded  an  armistice  with  the  Em 
peror  of  Russia.  He  orders  his  ships  to  cease  all  hostilities 
against  the  French  flag,  or  the  flags  of  Italy  and  Naples ;  my 
desire  is  that,  if  any  Russian  ships  enter  your  ports  and  apply 
for  refreshments,  you  let  them  have  all  that  they  ask,  either  in 
return  for  payment,  or.  else  keeping  an  account  of  the  value.  I 
have  instructed  Prince  Eugene  to  give  you  the  details  of  all 
which  has  passed  here  latterly.  Make  known  at  Corfu  the  orders 
which  the  Emperor  of  Russia  has  given  to  his  admiral,  and  all 
that  has  happened. 

[  299.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tilsit,  July  4, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  think  it  will  be  desirable  that  you  should 
begin  the  construction  of  two  ships  of  74  guns ;  that  five-twelfths 
of  them  should  be  completed  this  year,  and  that  in  the  spring 
they  be  fit  to  be  launched.  Pray  let  me  have  a  report  upon 
Taranto.  Would  one  of  my  squadrons  be  safe  there  ?  Would 
its  anchorage  be  safe  from  a  coup-de-main  ?  Are  the  islands 
fortified  ?  I  have  been  here  a  fortnight  with  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  and  the  King  of  Prussia.  They  dine  with  me  every  day, 
and  we  spend  the  greater  part  of  our  time  together.  Everything 
leads  me  to  think  that  peace  will  soon  be  concluded.  Cattaro 
and  Corfu  will  be  given  up  to  me.  Keep  these  conditions  as 
secret  as  possible.  I  wish  you  to  send  to  Taranto  and  Otranto 
two  companies  of  French  artillery,  with  a  colonel  and  two  second 
captains  of  artillery ;  one  French  regiment  of  the  line  and  one 
regiment  from  my  kingdom  of  Italy ;  a  colonel  of  engineers,  a 
major,  two  captains,  and  four  lieutenants  of  engineers,  and  two 


252  OCCUPATION  OF  CORFU.  CHAP.  VIIL 

companies  of  sappers  under  the  command  of  General  Caesar 
Berthier,  and  of  another  general  subordinate  to  him,  and  of  an 
adjutant.  They  are  to  be  sent  to  Taranto  and  Otranto,  on  the 
pretext  of  putting  those  two  places  in  a  state  of  defence,  so  that 
at  the  first  intimation,  and  without  the  English  suspecting  what 
they  are  about,  they  may  be  able  to  cross  over  to  Corfu,  and 
take  possession  of  the  town,  which  will  be  put  into  their  hands 
by  the  Russians.  I  suppose  that  you  hare  a  sufficient  number 
of  small  vessels  to  carry  them  all  over  in  one  or  two  passages. 
You  must  likewise  send  over  provisions  enough  to  last  this  gar 
rison  five  or  six  months,  especially  wheat.  It  is  true  that  Ali 
Pacha  will  furnish  them  with  it  as  well  as  with  meat  and  with  all 
that  they  may  want.  I  think  that  I  have  already  told  you  that 
you  ought  to  send  no  more  succours  to  Ali  Pacha  ;  you  showed 
too  much  zeal  in  that  affair.  Things  are  never  so  simple  as  they 
appear.  If  possible,  try  to  have  some  brigs  or  gunboats  at 
Taranto,  Otranto,  or  Brindisi,  in  order  to  keep  the  communica 
tion  open  between  Corfu  and  your  kingdom :  your  Minister  for 
Naval  Affairs  can  order  this  to  be  done.  I  need  not  tell  you 
that  in  the  treaty  you  are  recognised  by  the  whole  of  Europe. 


[300.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tilsit,  July  5,  1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  17th  of 
June.  I  am  astonished  at  what  you  tell  me,  that  the  English 
have  taken  away  the  bronze  cannons  from  Malta,  and  substituted 
iron  in  their  places. 


[301.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tilsit,  July  8, 1807. 

My  Brother, — Peace  was  signed  to-day  between  France  and 
Russia  by  the  Prince  of  Benevento  and  the  Princes  Kourakin 
and  Labanoff.  The  ratifications  will  be  exchanged  to-morrow. 
Russia  has  acknowledged  you  as  King  of  Naples. 


TTLT,  180T.  PEACE  OF  TILSIT.  253 

|  302.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tilsit,  July  9, 180T. 

My  Brother, — Peace  was  signed  yesterday  and  ratified  to 
day.  The  Emperor  Alexander  and  I  parted  to-day  at  12  o'clock, 
after  having  passed  three  weeks  together.  We  lived  as  intimate 
friends.  At  our  last  interview  he  appeared  in  the  order  of  the 
Legion  of  Honour,  and  I  in  that  of  St.  Andrew.  I  have  given 
the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  to  the  Grand  Duke 
Constantine,  to  the  Princes  Kourakin  and  Labanoff,  and  to 
Count  Budberg.  The  Emperor  of  Russia  has  conferred  his  order 
upon  the  King  of  Westphalia,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Berg,  and  on 
the  Princes  Neufchatel  and  Benevento.  Corfu  is  to  be  given  up  to 
me.  The  order  of  the  chief  of  the  staff  to  have  Corfu  occupied 
by  the  troops  whom  I  mentioned  to  you  has  been  given  to  an 
officer  who  is  on  his  way  to  you.  Do  not  lose  time  in  victualling 
that  island,  and  sending  thither  all  that  is  necessary. 


[303.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Komigsberg,  July  12, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  see  in  the  French  papers  some  letters  of 
King  Ferdinand,  which  have  probably  been  taken  from  the  Nea 
politan  newspapers.  What  is  the  object  of  this  ?  King  Ferdi 
nand  has  a  right  to  defend  his  throne  in  every  possible  way. 
Why,  then,  print  insignificant  letters  ?  Your  course  is  never  to 
speak  of  him.  These  disembarkations  and  incursions  of  the 
banditti,  which  in  reality  are  trifling,  are  improperly  exaggerated. 
Your  ministers  are  always  cracking  their  whips ;  they  ought,  on 
the  contrary,  to  make  as  little  as  possible  of  these  disturbances, 
and  represent  them  to  the  public  as  even  less  than  they  are ;  this 
is  important.  The  inference  naturally  drawn  is,  that  the  king 
dom  of  Naples  is  the  prey  of  every  species  of  depredation,  an 
opinion  founded  not  on  fact,  but  on  the  stupidity  of  your  police 
and  the  struggles  of  parties.  It  was  thus  in  France  during  the 
revolution— one  party  pushed  the  other  to  extremities.  But  the 
situation  of  your  kingdom  is  different. 


254  FINANCES  OF  NAPLES.  CHAP.  VIIL 

[304.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Dresden,  July  18, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  6th  of 
June.  If  you  send  Neapolitan  troops  into  Italy,  they  must  be 
paid  by  you,  as  the  troops  belonging  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy, 
which  are  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  are  paid  by  Italy.  I 
greatly  fear  that  your  finances  will  be  damaged  by  theories  and 
speculations ;  all  that  I  hear  from  Naples  suggests  this  idea.  A 
long  lapse  of  time,  and  men  of  experience,  are  necessary  to  carry 
out  changes  in  the  financial  system  of  a  country ;  and  I  see  that 
at  the  ^beginning  of  your  reign,  and  while  still  at  war,  you  are 
making  alterations  in  the  mode  of  collecting  the  revenue.  I 
look  upon  men  of  learning  and  brilliancy  as  I  do  upon  coquettes. 
They  are  very  well  to  live  and  converse  with,  but  we  should  no 
more  think  of  taking  the  latter  for  our  wives  than  the  former  for 
our  ministers.* 

*  This  letter  has  been  imitated  rather  than  quoted  by  Thiers,  vol.  vii. 
p.  430.—TB. 


JULY,  1806.  JOSEPH'S  MILITAET  APPOINTMENTS.  255 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  31st  of 
July,  1807,  to  the  1st  of  April  1808.  With  the  exception  of 
a  short  visit  to  Northern  Italy,  Napoleon  passed  these  eight 
months  in  Paris,  St.  Cloud,  or  Fontainebleau,  engaged  towards 
the  South  in  preparing  the  means  of  seizing  Portugal  and  Spain, 
and  towards  the  East  in  settling  with  Russia  the  partition  of 
Turkey.  Joseph  passed  them  in  Naples.  They  were  the  last 
eight  months  of  his  short  and  troubled  Neapolitan  reign :  a 
reign  to  be  followed  by  one  rather  longer,  but  still  more  dis 
turbed. 


[305.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  July  81,  1807. 

My  Brother, — I  cannot  help  being  displeased  at  your  having 
sent  into  my  armies  Neapolitan  officers,  of  whom  many  are  still 
attached  to  the  late  court,  and  others  are  men  of  bad  character, 
turned  out  of  my  army  of  Italy,  whom  you  have  been  so  obliging 
as  to  promote.  It  is  a  strange  policy  to  put  arms  into  the  hands 
of  our  enemies.  For  example,  I  will  mention  a  Colonel  Alfan  de 
Ribeira  who  was  sent  to  Dalmatia,  and  whom  I  had  arrested  and 
sent  to  Fenestrelle ;  a  Captain  Blanco  G-aetano,  who  was  sent,  I 
know  not  how,  to  the  Grand  Army ;  a  certain  Debouge,  related 
to  Chevalier  Micheroux ;  likewise  Pellegrini,  Borgheggiani, 
Leoni,  &c.  All  these  are  suspicious  characters.  There  are 


256  SHIPBUILDING  IN  NAPLES.  CHAP.  IX. 

others,  besides,  who  have  been  dismissed  from  my  surveying  de 
partments  in  Italy,  on  account  of  official  faults  or  for  other 
reasons.  Let  me  know  what  you  wish  to  be  done  with  them. 
A  man  has  but  to  present  himself,  and  Dumas  is  ready  to  give 
him  a  title.  It  is  folly  to  make  officers  of  such  people. 


[306.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Aug.  2, 1807. 

My  Brother, — You  do  not  acquaint  me  sufficiently  often 
with  the  situation  of  your  army.  Send  me  every  fortnight  re 
turns  like  those  which  Prince  Eugene  sends  to  me  of  his  army, 
and  pay  great  attention  to  their  being  drawn  up  with  care.  I 
have  given  orders  for  the  reinforcement  of  the  garrisons  of  An- 
cona  and  Civita  Yecchia,  and  I  am  going  immediately  to  occupy 
Leghorn,  where  the  English  continue  to  trade  without  mo 
lestation. 


[307.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  3,  1SOT. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  24th  of 
July.  What  you  tell  me  of  the  armament  of  Taranto  is  not 
satisfactory.  Are  the  batteries  which  were  furnished  with  guns 
when  I  thought  of  sending  a  squadron  to  that  roadstead  still 
armed  ?  Let  me  have  a  little  sketch  which  may  make  me  ac 
quainted  with  each  battery,  and  the  number  of  guns  of  which  it 
is  composed.  If  the  old  batteries  have  been  armed,  no  human 
power  can  overcome  them  by  &ea. 


[308.J  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  4, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  written  to  recommend  you  to  put  in 
course  of  construction  tw6  vessels  of  80  guns  and  two  frigates ; 
and  you  have  not  let  me  have  an  answer. 


Atro.  1807.  WANT  OF  KETUENS.  257 

{"  309.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  5, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  28th  of 
July,  in  which  you  tell  me  that  you  are  going  to  build  two  ves 
sels  of  the  line  and  one  frigate.  This  is  very  important.  If  you 
should  only  complete  the  first  quarter  of  these  ships  in  the  pre 
sent  year,  you  would  be  able  to  finish  them  next  year.  Make  ar 
rangements  to  receive  early  information  of  the  occupation  of 
Cattaro  and  of  Corfu,  and  send  the  news  immediately  to  me.  I 
am  surprised  that  you  have  not  mentioned  the  passage  through 
Naples  of  the  French  and  Russian  officers  who  left  Tilsit  for 
Cattaro  two  days  after  the  peace  was  signed ;  tell  me  when  they 
passed  through,  and  when  you  hope  to  receive  information  on  the 
subject. 

[  310.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  17, 1807. 

My  Brother, — Neither  I  nor  my  ministers  hear  any  thing  of 
my  army  of  Naples :  I  have  no  returns :  I  asked  you  to  send 
them  to  me  every  ten  days.  Nor  have  I  any  detailed  account  of 
the  execution  of  my  orders  relating  to  the  occupation  of  Corfu. 
I  told  you  that  4000  men  should  be  sent  thither.  The  troops 
may  be  blockaded  in  that  island;  1500  men  are  not  enough. 
Let  me  have  a  return  of  the  regiments  which  you  send  thither, 
with  the  names  of  the  staff,  engineer,  and  artillery  officers. 
Order  your  Chief  of  the  Staff  to  correspond  frequently  and  at 
length  with  the  minister  on  every  thing  relating  to  the  army,  and 
to  send  to  him  a  return  every  five  days.  If  things  go  on  in  this 
way,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  send  a  Chief  of  the  Staff  to  Naples. 


[311.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  16, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  8th.  The 
Neapolitan  troops  cannot  bear  eagles,  as  they  are  not  the  arms  of 
your  kingdom.  Nor  must  they  take  the  French  tricolor  flag — 


258  NEAPOLITAN  TROOPS.  CHAP.  IX. 

the  French  tricolor  flag  is  not  the  flag  of  Naples.  On  the  whole, 
it  is  more  natural  that  your  troops  should  carry  colours  with  the 
arms  of  your  kingdom.  I  am  sorry  that  you  have  so  many  Nea 
politan  troops :  you  must  be  aware  that  as  far  as  I  am  concerned 
these  troops  are  no  better  than  none  at  all,  it  takes  so  long  to 
form  the  spirit  and  the  general  tone  of  an  army.  If  I  am  forced 
to  give  you  money,  I  must  withdraw  my  army.  For  every  Nea 
politan  regiment  which  you  form  I  must  withdraw  a  French 
regiment ;  this  is  to  change  good  money  for  bad. 

Take  it  as  a  principle  that  my  expenses  are  enormous,  espe 
cially  those  of  my  navy.  The  Italians  in  the  Grand  Army  were 
of  use,  but  they  were  troops  whom  I  had  organised  for  six  years, 
and  who  had  been  formed  at  the  camp  of  Boulogne. 

If  the  company  of  light  horse  is  composed  of  men  of  property, 
I  see  no  objection  to  your  sending  them  to  France,  and  I  will 
have  them  trained. 


[312.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bt  Cloud,  Sept  1, 1SOT. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  2nd  of 
August.  I  do  not  believe  that  M.  Nardon  can  discharge  the 
functions  of  Prefect  of  Police  at  Naples,  because  you  want  for 
that  place  a  man  who  has  worked  several  months  in  the  depart 
ment,  because  the  office  of  Prefect  of  Police  is  to  be  learnt  only 
by  practice,  and  because  nothing  which  is  written  upon  the  sub 
ject  gives  a  clear  idea  of  the  duties.  Besides,  M.  Nardon  is  dif 
ficult  to  get  on  with,  and  very  ambitious ;  he  is  zealous,  but  hasty 
in  his  views ;  however,  he  is  not  without  merit. 

I  have  ordered  a  review  of  the  Neapolitan  regiments  which 
are  in  Italy,  and,  according  to  the  report  which  I  receive,  I  shall 
determine  what  to  do  with  them. 

Write  to  Ali  Pacha  to  promote  the  provisioning  of  the  island 
of  Corfu ;  I  have  learned  with  great  interest  that  my  troops  are 
at  length  arrived  there.  I  am  very  impatient  to  hear  that  Gen 
eral  Caesar  Berthier  has  joined  them.  I  reiterate  to  you  my  ad 
vice  to  garrison  that  island  fully ;  it  ought  to  have  from  4000  to 


SEPT.  180T.  GARRISON  OF  COEFU.  259 

5000  men  and  a  sufficient  number  of  artillery  and  engineer  officers 
to  put  the  place  in  the  best  possible  state  of  defence. 


[313.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

at  Cloud,  Sept  1, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  the  returns  of  the  army  of 
Naples  up  to  the  15th  of  August.  I  see  that  the  Corfu  division 
is  composed  only  of  two  battalions  of  the  6th  of  the  line,  1500 
strong,  of  one  battalion  of  the  5th  Italian  regiment  of  900  men, 
and  of  130  gunners.  That  is  not  enough.  I  have  given  orders 
that  detachments  from  the  6th  French  regiment  of  the  line  and 
the  5th  Italian  start  for  Ancona  in  order  to  complete  those  corps 
to  the  full  number. 

Besides  this  reinforcement  I  wish  you  to  send  off  a  battalion 
of  740  men,  light  infantry.  I  suppose  that  you  have  sent  a 
brigadier-general  with  General  Berthier. 


[314.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept  2, 1807. 

My  Brother, — You  will  find  annexed  the  letter  which  I  have 
written  to  your  wife.  The  weather  here  has  become  much 
cooler ;  I  therefore  wish  her  to  start  on  the  15th. 

I  enclose  a  memorandum  on  Prince  Pignatelli.  Is  there  any 
harm  in  allowing  him  to  remain  in  France  and  to  live  in  Paris  ? 


[315.]  NAPOLEON  TO  THE  QUEEN  OF  NAPLES. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept  2.  1807. 

My  Sister  and  Sister-in-law, — I  wish  you  to  start  for  Naples , 
the  present  season  is  the  best.  I  think  therefore  that  you  should 
set  out  on  the  15th  of  September,  so  as  to  reach  Milan  on  the 
23rd  or  24th,  and  to  arrive  at  Naples  during  the  first  ten  days  in 
October.  As  this  letter  has  no  other  object,  I  pray  God,  my 
sister  and  sister-in-law,  that  he  may  have  you  in  his  holy  and 
honourable  keeping. 


260  WANT  OF  INFORMATION.  CHAP.  IX. 

[  316.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept.  6, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  27th  of 
August.  It  does  not  tell  me  whether  my  troops  have  entered 
Corfu,  neither  do  my  ministers  know  any  thing  more  on  the  sub 
ject;  we  are  in  perfect  ignorance  of  what  is  going  on  at  Naples. 

The  letters  which  you  write  to  me  are  mere  notes ;  this  is 
natural,  but  your  chief  of  the  staff  ought  to  write  at  length  and 
in  detail  to  the  minister.  Have  the  two  convoys  entered  Corfu  ? 
is  the  citadel  in  their  possession  ?  in  what  state  did  they  find  it  ? 
what  are  the  Russians  about?  where  are  they?  Nothing  is 
known  here  on  these  subjects.  The  isles  of  Corfu  do  not  form 
part  of  your  *  kingdom,  but,  in  the  mean  while,  I  wish  that  the 
troops  which  are  there  should  be  considered  as  belonging  to  your 
army,  and  that  you  should  take  the  requisite  measures  for  paying 
them  and  furnishing  them  with  ammunition  and  provisions.  I 
told  you  that  you  had  not  sent  thither  a  sufficient  number  of 
gunners.  Advise  General  Csesar  Berthier  to  treat  the  inhabi 
tants  well,  to  make  himself  loved  by  them,  to  leave  them  their 
constitution  for  the  present,  to  be  as  little  as  possible  a  burden 
to  them,  and  to  put  the  fortress  of  Corfu,  as  soon  as  he  can,  in  a 
state  of  defence.  Send  as  many  provisions  thither  as  possible. 


[  317.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept  6, 1807, 

My  Brother, — You  sent  me  a  short  return,  dated  the  28th 
of  August,  in  which  the  men  on  detachment  and  those  that  are 
in  the  hospitals  are  put  into  the  same  column.  There  is  too 
much  difference  between  them  to  admit  of  their  being  con 
founded  together.  For  instance,  the  52nd  is  reported  as  having 
898  men  effectives  and  1000  at  the  hospitals  or  detached.  This 
confusion  makes  the  return  useless ;  it  gives  me  no  idea  of  the 
state  of  my  army.  I  wish  you  to  send  to  Corfu  the  1400  men 
of  the  14th  light  infantry,  and  that  the  garrison  be  increased  to 

*  In  the  original  "  notre,"  which  must  be  wrong. — TR. 


SEPT.  180T.  COKFU.  261 

5000.     Send  thither  Brigadier-General  Donzelot,  to  be  second 
in  command  under  General  Caesar  Berthier. 


[  318.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St,  Cloud,  Sept.  6, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  28th  of 
August,  in  which  you  tell  me  that  General  C.  Berthier  has  started, 
but  you  do  not  acquaint  me  with  his  arrival.  If  the  Russians  land 
on  your  coast  treat  them  well,  and  send  them  to  Bologna,  where 
the  Viceroy  will  give  them  a  farther  destination.  I  approve 
highly  of  Salicetti's  proposal  that  you  should  send  5000  quintals 
of  wheat  to  Corfu. 

I  have  already  informed  you  that,  although  the  isles  of  Corfu 
do  not  form  part  of  your  kingdom,  they  are  nevertheless  under 
your  civil  and  military  government  as  commander-in-chief  of  my 
army  of  Naples.  In  general,  I  wish  you  to  interfere  as  little  as 
possible  with  the  constitution  of  the  country,  and  to  treat  the  in 
habitants  well.  The  Emperor  Alexander,  who  gave  them  their 
constitution,  thinks  it  very  good.  Make  General  Caesar  Berthier 
aware  that  I  wish  the  inhabitants  of  these  islands  to  have  cause 
only  to  rejoice  at  having  passed  under  my  dominion ;  that  when 
I  selected  him  I  relied  on  his  honesty  and  on  his  endeavours  to 
make  his  government  popular.  The  idea  of  establishing  packets 
is  very  sensible.  My  troops  have  taken  possession  of  Cattaro ; 
the  English  are  besieging  Copenhagen,  which  still  holds  out. 


[319.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept.  6, 1807. 

My  Brother, — Besides  the  islands  of  Corfu,  I  must  be  en 
titled  to  some  possessions  on  the  continent  of  Albania,  which 
were,  I  think,  occupied  by  the  Russians,  and  formerly  belonged 
to  the  Venetians :  let  me  have  a  report  on  the  subject.  It  would 
be  well  to  prepare  some  plans  for  the  establishment  of  field-forti 
fications,  which  may  enable  me  always  to  be  master  of  these  posts 
on  the  main  land. 


262  COBFU.— KEINFOKCEMENTS.  CHAP.  IX. 

[320.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambooillet,  Sept  7, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  29th  of 
August  with  the  returns  annexed.  When  the  6th  of  the  line  left 
Naples  it  was  1600  strong,  when  it  reached  Otranto  it  must  have 
been  reduced  to  1500,  and  by  this  time  probably  to  1300.  The 
men  who  belong  to  this  regiment  should,  on  leaving  the  hospitals, 
proceed  to  the  depot  at  Otranto,  whence  they  should  start  for 
Corfu  well-armed  and  equipped.  I  have  ordered  the  Viceroy  to 
send  from  Ancona  1200  men  of  the  6th,  7th,  and  5th  Italian 
regiments,  in  order  to  complete  these  regiments  to  their  full 
number.  I  am  aware  that  the  present  season  is  critical  for  my 
army  of  Naples,  but  the  rainy  season  will  commence  in  November, 
and  they  will  regain  their  strength.  It  is  necessary  that  you  then 
take  Reggio  and  Scylla ;  it  is  humiliating  that  the  English  should 
have  a  footing  on  the  Continent — I  will  not  endure  it.  Act  on 
this. 


[321.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Kambouillet,  Sept.  7, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  28th  of 
August ;  it  was  brought  to  me  by  an  officer  who  has  given  me 
some  details  on  the  state  of  Corfu.  I  beg  you  to  send  thither 
money  enough  for  my  soldiers  always  to  have  three  months'  pay 
in  advance.  I  intend  General  Caesar  Berthier  to  have  a  suitable 
allowance. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  send  thither  every  kind  of  provi 
sion  and  ammunition.  I  suppose  that  it  would  be  impossible  for 
you  to  get  a  few  armed  corvettes  across. 


[322.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambouillet,  Sept  10, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  see  that  you  do  not  include  the  troops  which 
are  in  Corfu  in  the  last  return  of  my  army ;  they  ought,  however, 
to  be  included,  since  they  form  part  of  the  army  of  Naples :  I 


SEPT.  1807.  CORFU.  263 

think  that  it  was  dated  the  28th.  A  column  of  1400  men  be 
longing  to  the  army  of  Naples  is  at  Ancona.  I  see  by  your  re 
turn  that  the  29th  regiment  of  dragoons  is  at  Naples.  I  have 
just  ordered  a  column  of  3000  men  to  be  assembled  at  Ancona. 
As  soon  as  they  have  done  what  I  want  at  Ancona,  these  3000 
men  will  start  to  join  your  army,  for  I  intend  to  increase  your 
battalions  to  an  effective  of  1260  men.  Your  cavalry  is  very 
weak;  let  me  have  a  report  upon  your  remounts;  your  depots 
are  likewise  ill  off  for  cavalry.  I  have  just  given  orders  that 
the  250  horses  which  are  there  be  sent  to  reinforce  your  regiments. 


[323.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambouillet,  Sept.  11, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  see  by  your  letter  of  the  2nd  of  September 
that  Ferdinand  has  left  Sicily.  I  am  waiting  for  further  intelli 
gence  to  confirm  this  news.* 


[324.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Eambouillet,  Sept.  14, 1807. 

My  Brother, — My  relations  with  Russia  continue  to  be  on 
the  best  possible  footing.  Denmark  has  declared  war  against 
England  since  the  16th  of  August.  Copenhagen  is  blockaded  by 
land  and  by  sea ;  but  the  English  army  is  itself  blockaded  be 
tween  the  town  and  a  body  of  Danish  troops  which  occupy  the 
flat  country  in  the  island  of  Zealand.  On  the  28th  of  August, 
which  is  the  date  of  the  last  news  from  Copenhagen,  the  affairs 
of  the  English  seemed  to  be  turning  out  ill,  and  it  was  hoped 
that  they  would  fail,  and  be  forced  to  re-embark.  The  Russian 
squadron,  which  was  at  Tenedos,  has  received  orders  to  repair  to 
Cadiz,  or  to  one  of  my  ports.  I  have  sent  orders  in  every  direc 
tion  to  insure  their  being  well  received.  If  by  chance  you  have 
the  means  of  communicating  with  this  squadron,  do  not  fail  to 
inform  the  admiral  of  what  is  going  on  at  Copenhagen,  of  my 
fears  lest  the  English  should  endeavour  to  intercept  the  Russian 

*  It  was  not  true. — ED. 


264  THE  RUSSIAN  SQUADBON.  CHAP.  IX. 

squadron,  and  of  the  advice  which  I  have  sent  to  Cadiz  for  him, 
and  which  I  repeat  to  him  through  you,  to  take  refuge  in  one  of 
my  ports  till  all  is  settled.  Besides  the  great  Russian  squadron, 
there  is  another  in  the  Adriatic ;  the  Yiceroy  tells  me  that  it  has 
arrived  in  Istria.  It  is  desirable  that  you  should  inform  the 
officer  in  command  of  what  is  passing  at  Copenhagen,  without  at 
tracting  to  it  too  much  attention ;  advise  him  to  manoauvre  with 
prudence,  because  it  is  possible  that  the  English  may  try  to  carry 
off  his  squadron ;  and  let  him  know  that,  if  these  fears  are  well 
founded,  he  may  take  refuge  in  Ancona,  or  in  any  other  harbour 
of  yours  where  he  will  be  safe.  Be  cautious  in  these  communi 
cations,  for  it  is  my  interest  that  the  English  should  continue  to 
allow  the  Russians  to  navigate  freely.  If  the  Russian  ships 
should  enter  your  harbours,  give  orders  that  they  be  furnished 
with  all  that  they  want,  and  that  every  care  be  taken  to  protect 
them  against  the  English. 

I  see  with  great  regret  that  the  colonel  and  probably  the 
grenadiers  of  the  6th  regiment  have  been  taken.  General  C. 
Berthier  delayed  this  expedition  too  long.  If  any  Russian 
officers  of  superior  rank  should  arrive  in  Naples,  I  beg  that  you 
will  receive  them  at  your  Court  with  particular  attention,  and 
that  you  will  let  them  know  that  it  is  by  my  desire. 


[  325.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Sept  25,  1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  16th.  I 
cannot  imagine  how  you  can  want  such  a  number  of  troops  in 
the  kingdom  of  Naples,  which  is  attacked  only  by  a  few  wretched 
banditti.  Still  less  can  I  understand,  unless  it  is  explained  by  the 
theories  of  your  Minister  of  Finance,  that,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
6,000,000  francs  which  I  send  to  you,  you  are  not  able  to  pay 
25,000  men*  in  a  kingdom  the  population  of  which  amounts  to  more 
than  4,000,000,  That  you  have  no  commerce  is  not  a  satisfactory 

*  When  Joseph  asked  for  money,  Napoleon  would  never  admit  that  he  had 
more  than  25,000  troops  :  when  he  asked  for  men,  Napoleon  proved  to  him 
that  he  had  45,000  or  50,000.— ED. 


SEPT.  1807.  NAPLES.— PAYMENT  OF  ARMY.  265 

reason.  If  you  can  give  corn,  wine,  and  bread  to  an  army,  the 
money  required  for  its  pay  is  trifling.  It  is  true  that  you  export 
no  goods,  but  also  that  you  export  no  money.  Your  finances  are 
generally  believed  to  be  horribly  ill  managed.  This  is  very  un 
fortunate.  Naples  costs  me  an  army,  and  costs  me  money  besides. 
The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  allow  no  arrears  in  the  pay  of 
your  army.  Besides,  winter  is  at  hand  :  what  can  prevent  your 
merchant-vessels  from  taking  your  commodities  to  Genoa  and  the 
other  French  ports  ? 

My  wish  is  that  there  should  be  two  brigadier-generals  at 
Corfu  :  in  the  event  of  Berthier's  death,  Donzelot  succeeds  him. 
I  am  sorry  to  see  that  the  101st  has  only  one  battalion  in  the 
Terra  di  Lavoro,  that  the  20th  of  the  line  is  not  brought  together 
in  the  province  of  Salerno,  that  a  portion  of  it  is  in  Puglia,  and 
that  the  Swiss  regiment  is  not  brought  together.  In  your  return 
of  the  garrison  of  Corfu  you  give  1600  men  to  the  6th  of  the 
line ;  you  are  aware  that  the  grenadiers  and  one  company  have 
been  taken — that  is  to  say,  300  men ;  there  can,  therefore,  only 
remain  1200.  I  have  ordered  the  whole  of  the  regiment  of 
Isembourg  to  Naples.  I  have  also  ordered  the  Viceroy  of  Italy 
to  send  you  a  reinforcement  of  from  3000  to  4000  men,  taken 
from  the  depots  of  your  army.  This  reinforcement  will  leave 
Ancona  in  two  detachments,  one  on  the  15th  of  October  and  the 
other  on  the  1st  of  November. 


[326.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Sept  26, 1807. 

My  Brother, — You  have  sent  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy  two 
foot  regiments;  the  first,  which  consists  of  1500  men  present 
under  arms,  1900  effective  seems  tolerably  good.  I  have  ordered 
the  two  first  battalions  to  be  completed  and  sent  to  France;  the 
third  battalion  will  return  to  Naples  for  recruits. 

The  second  regiment  has  700  men  present  under  arms ;  it  is  bad 
in  every  respect.  I  have  ordered  all  the  men  fit  for  service  in  the 
two  first  battalions  of  this  regiment  to  l}e  incorporated  in  the  two 
first  battalions  of  the  1st  regiment,  and  those  of  the  third  battal- 

VOL.  I.— 12 


266  NEAPOLITAN  SOLDIERS.  CHAP.  IX. 

ion  to  go  to  recruit  in  Naples.  The  regiment  of  chasseurs  has  no 
horses.  The  depot  at  Mantua  is  a  gang  of  bandits,  who  commit 
every  sort  of  excess.  Good  peasants  will  make  soldiers,  but  not 
rascals  such  as  these.  I  wish  you  to  send  off  your  light  artillery 
to  Upper  Italy,  as  it  is  of  no  use  to  you  in  the  species  of  war  in 
which  you  are  at  present  engaged. 


[327.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct  1, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  20th.  I 
have  already  sent  back  the  cadres  of  your  Neapolitan  regiments. 
What  is  the  good  of  sending  to  me  regiments  composed  of  com 
panies  of  40  men  ?  Each  company  should  consist  of  from  120 
to  140.  There  will  be,  therefore,  about  enough  in  the  two 
Neapolitan  regiments  to  form  two  tolerable  battalions.  The 
cadres  of  the  2nd  regiment,  which  are  on  their  way  to  Naples, 
may  return  when  they  have  3000  recruits.  You  ask  me  to  order 
the  third  battalions  of  the  regiments  belonging  to  the  army  of 
Naples  to  be  sent  to  Gaeta,  Naples,  and  Otranto.  If  I  were  to 
do  this,  these  regiments  would  soon  be  ruined,  for  how  is  it  pos 
sible  to  send  conscripts  without  clothing  or  rest  from  the  farthest 
points  of  France  to  Naples  ?  *  You  do  not  bestow  sufficient  care 
and  thought  on  military  organisation.  My  armies  are  large  and 
strong  only  because  I  pay  the  utmost  attention  to  these  details. 
If  the  kingdom  of  Naples  contributed  the  revenue  which  it  ought 
to  do,  you  would  not  be  in  want  of  troops.  I  could  send  them  to 
you,  but  you  pay  nothing.  Your  finances  are  deplorably  admin 
istered  ;  they  are  all  managed  theoretically,  but  money  is  emi- 

*  At  this  time  Napoleon's  regiments  consisted,  with  few  exceptions,  of 
three  battalions,  two  on  service,  and  the  third  at  the  depot  of  the  regiment, 
always  established  on  French  territory.  In  the  depot  the  conscripts  allotted 
to  each  regiment  were  detained,  with  their  commissioned  and  non-commis 
sioned  officers — technically,  their  cadres — for  about  a  year,  and  then  sent  off 
to  their  regiments,  where  the  privates  were  incorporated  in  the  first  and  second 
battalions,  and  the  cadres  were  sent  back  to  the  depot.  Joseph  requested  that 
the  depots  of  three  of  the  French  regiments  might  be  established  at  Gaeta, 
Taranto,  and  Naples. — TR, 


OCT.  180T.  COMPLAINTS  OF  CLESAK  BERTHIER.  267 

nently  a  matter  of  fact.  Try  to  send  me  some  details  upon  Corfu. 
Send  thither  some  officers.  As  yet  I  have  heard  nothing.  You 
should  communicate  with  Corfu  three  times  a  week. 


[  328.]  NAPOI^EON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct  6, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  26th  of 
September,  with  others  from  Corfu.  I  had  not  desired  General 
Caesar  Berthier  to  declare  that  Corfu  formed  part  of  the  empire , 
and  as  I  was  silent,  he  ought  to  have  been  so  likewise.  Signify 
to  him  my  displeasure.  He  ought  to  have  announced  that  the 
present  constitution  was  to  be  preserved.  Tell  him  to  act  with 
more  prudence  and  circumspection.  I  cannot  imagine  how  it  is 
that  the  powder  magazines  are  not  yet  at  his  disposal.  Still  less 
can  I  understand  how  he  can  propose  to  restore  Parga  to  Ali 
Pacha ;  he  is  mad  to  think  of  such  a  thing.  Write  frequently  to 
him  to  cool  his  ardour,  and  to  make  him  go  on  more  slowly. 
Explain  to  him  that  neither  he  nor  any  one  else  knows  what  he 
will  have  to  do  to-morrow,  and  that  he  must  be  prudent  syste 
matically  and  generally.  He  ought  not  to  have  hoisted  the 
French  colours;  in  his  letters  he  forgets  the  most  important 
things,  such  as  the  number  of  Russian  troops  who  were  in  Corfu. 
You  have  doubtless  sent  thither,  as  I  ordered,  corn,  powder,  and, 
above  all,  the  14th  light  infantry ;  you  are  aware  that  I  have  not 
enough  troops  there.  If  you  have  not  already  despatched  the 
14th,  do  so  without  delay  :  this  is  my  desire.  There  will  be  no 
difficulty  about  the  ammunition  and  provisions  which  are  at  Corfu 
belonging  to  the  Russians;  they  will  all  be  given  up  to  me. 
I  am  expecting  the  Russian  ambassador,  and  this  will  be  the  first 
thing  which  he  will  do.  I  hope  that  you  have  sent  to  Corfu  one 
of  your  most  active  officers,  who  will  make  his  report  as  soon  as 
possible.  And  as  yet  I  have  no  clear  ideas  about  that  country ; 
and  how  should  I,  considering  that  I  have  not  yet  been  informed 
of  the  numbers  and  positions  of  the  Russian  troops  which  are 
there  ? 

Give  positive  orders  to  General  C.  Berthier  to  employ  in 


263  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  CLESAR  BERTHIER.  CHAP.  IX. 

Zante  and  Cephalonia  only  a  few  French  officers  with  the  troops 
of  the  country  and  the  Albanians  whom  he  has  taken  into  his 
service,  but  not  a  single  French  soldier  of  the  line,  nor  one 
Italian.  I  wish  all  my  troops  to  be  concentrated  at  Corfu,  Parga, 
and  Santa  Maura,  and  that  Parga  be  fortified,  and  put  into  a 
good  state  of  defence.  The  works  there  should  be  carried  on 
without  interruption  until  it  is  safe  from  any  Turkish  attack. 
The  same  thing  should  be  done  at  Santa  Maura.  Ali  Pacha  and 
the  Turks,  however,  must  be  treated  well.  Authorise  General 
C.  Berthier  to  build  in  the  dockyard  of  Corfu  two  brigs,  to  be 
manned  by  the  sailors  of  the  country.  A  French  garrison  and 
a  few  French  officers  of  marines  shall  be  sent  thither.*  These 
two  brigs  are  to  defend  the  island  against  the  corsairs.  Pay 
regularly  the  troops  in  the  Ionian  Islands,  and  put  always  a  sum 
of  50,000  francs  at  the  disposal  of  the  governor  for  extraordinary 
expenses,  and  the  same  amount  at  the  disposal  of  the  commandants 
of  the  artillery  and  engineers  respectively,  taking  care,  however, 
to  replace  every  month  what  they  have  expended. 

This  is  the  way  in  which  I  wish  my  troops  to  be  placed  : — 
General  C.  Berthier,  Governor-General,  at  Corfu,  with  a  bat 
talion  of  the  14th  light  infantry,  2  battalions  of  the  6th  and 
15th  Italian  regiments,  and  the  troops  of  the  country.  He  will 
have  under  his  orders  General  Cardeneau,  who  will  be  second  in 
command,  and  replace  Berthier  if  anything  happens  to  him,  an 
aide-de-camp,  6  adjutants  on  the  staff  (the  colonel  of  the  6th 
having  been  taken  prisoner,  the  major  will  replace  him),  a  colonel 
of  engineers,  a  colonel  of  artillery,  a  chef-de-bataillon  of  artillery 
acting  as  superintendent  of  the  park,  a  chef-de-bataillon  and  4 
other  officers  of  engineers  (in  the  whole,  6  engineer  officers  for 
Corfu),  and  4  second  captains  of  artillery  (also  making  altogether 
6  artillery  officers  for  the  staff  at  Corfu).  The  garrison  of  Corfu 
will  furnish  to  Parga  a  detachment  of  600  men,  which  will  be  re 
lieved  whenever  it  is  thought  proper.  This  detachment  is  to  be 
composed  thus  :  of  three  companies  of  the  6th,  to  be  completed  at 
the  time  of  their  departure  to  more  than  100  men  present  under 

*  Apparently  to  Santa  Maura. — TK. 


OCT.  1807.  DISPOSAL  OF  TKOOPS.  269 

arms  for  each  company,  which  will  make  300  men ;  6  pieces  of 
field-artillery  with  half  a  company  of  artillery ;  100  Greeks,  and 
2  companies  of  the  15th  Italian  regiment,  which  also  are  each  to 
be  kept  up  to  100  men  present  under  arms.  These  troops  are  to 
be  under  the  orders  of  a  French  brigadier-general,  a  chef-de-ba- 
taillon,  a  captain  who  is  to  be  unattached  and  to  act  as  governor 
of  the  fort  of  Parga,  of  an  officer  of  engineers,  and  of  a  perma 
nent  artillery  officer.  Besides  the  field-pieces,  18  or  20  iron  guns 
are  to  be  sent  to  Parga,  and  you  should  set  to  work  immediately 
to  make  it  a  sort  of  basis  of  operations  protected  against  attempts 
on  the  part  of  the  Turks  or  any  other  power.  Batteries  should 
be  erected  there  sweeping  the  sea,  to  prevent  the  approach  of  the 
English.  General  Donzelot  is  to  command  at  Sfca.  Maura ;  he 
will  have  under  his  orders  the  2nd  battalion  of  the  14th  light 
infantry,  900  Albanians,  6  field-pieces,  and  a  company  of  artillery. 
A  sufficient  number  of  iron  guns  should  be  sent  to  enable  him  to 
erect  batteries  on  the  coast.  He  will  see  that  the  fortifications 
which  are  to  protect  the  island  from  the  English  are  carried  on 
with  the  utmost  diligence.  He  will  likewise  have  under  his 
orders  2  officers  of  engineers  and  an  officer  commanding  the 
artillery.  At  Cephalonia  there  should  be  a  French  chef-de-batail- 
lon  as  commandant,  2  captains,  a  lieutenant  of  artillery,  and  a 
detachment  of  16  gunners,  600  Albanians,  and  600  Greeks  raised 
in  the  country.  Zante  should  be  treated  in  the  same  way.  In 
this  manner,  if  a  considerable  English  force  were  directed  upon 
Cephalonia  or  Zante,  and  if  these  islands  could  receive  no  assist 
ance  from  Sta.  Maura  or  from  the  Turks  on  the  mainland,  I 
should  be  exposed  to  the  loss  of  only  a  few  officers  and  no  French 
soldiers.  If  you  were  to  send  to  Corfu  6  companies  of  your 
Neapolitan  regiments,  each  consisting  of  120  men,  they  might 
enter  my  service  there,  and  be  usefully  employed.  It  remains 
for  you,  therefore,  to  despatch  the  requisite  number  of  officers  of 
artillery  and  of  engineers,  to  send  another  brigadier-general  to 
command  at  Parga,  and  the  requisite  number  of  officers  to  be 
commandants  at  Zante  and  Cephalonia.  The  commandant  of  Sta. 
Maura  will  keep  up  a  regular  communication  with  the  governor- 
general  at  Corfu ;  but  he  will  also  correspond  directly  with  you 


270  AFFAIRS  OF  CORFU.  CHAP.  IX. 

to  give  you  frequent  intelligence  of  all  that  passes.  You  will 
instruct  these  different  commandants  to  keep  on  good  terms  with 
the  Turks  and  conciliate  them,  but  to  be  always  prepared  for 
defence. 

[329.J  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct  6,  1807. 

My  Brother, — By  your  return,  sent  to  me  on  the  8th  of  Sep 
tember,  I  see  that  there  are  in  Corfu  only  one  colonel  of  artillery 
and  3  capitaines-adjoints.  You  must,  therefore,  also  send  thither 
a  chef-de-bataillon ;  send  likewise  a  captain  to  Sta.  Maura.  I  see 
that  there  is  [in  Corfu]  only  a  chef-de-bataillon  of  engineers ;  a 
colonel  must  be  sent  thither  :  that  there  are  only  two  companies, 
making  together  130  men,  of  foot-artillery ;  2  more  must  be  sent. 
I  see  no  artificers  there ;  a  party  must  be  sent  under  a  good 
officer  to  repair  all  the  carriages. 

I  do  not  see  that  any  field-artillery  are  sent ;  there  ought  to 
be  at  least  18  pieces.  The  governor  is  not  to  shut  himself  up  in 
the  town ;  he  must  defend  the  whole  island,  Sta.  Maura,  and 
Parga.  I  informed  you  of  my  wishes  in  my  letter  of  yesterday. 
Let  them  be  attended  to. 

I  despatched  gold  for  Corfu  a  week  ago.  It  must  not  be  al 
lowed  to  want  anything.  Why  do  not  you  send  out  cruisers  to 
prevent  the  enemy  from  infesting  the  Adriatic  and  your  seas  ? 
Why  cannot  you,  in  this  season,  send  corn  and  oil  by  water  to 
Marseilles  ? 

I  am  anxious  that,  as  soon  as  winter  comes,  you  should  keep 
the  English  off  the  Continent. 

Let  me  know  why  Butrinto  and  the  other  parts  of  the  Conti 
nent  which  belong  to  the  Ionian  Islands  are  not  occupied.  At 
tend  to  what  I  have  said  respecting  the  forts.  Follow  scrupu 
lously  my  instructions,  for  you  do  not  know  my  plans. 


[  330.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct.  6, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  letters  of  the  20th  of  Septem 
ber  from  General  C.  Berthier.  His  correspondence  is  not  satis 
factory.  He  mentions  the  Russian  squadron  only  to  complain  of 


GOT.  180T.  REINFOBCEMENTS  SENT  TO  NAPLES.  271 

Admiral  Siniavin's  conduct,  but  he  does  not  tell  me  the  number 
of  their  ships  of  the  line  and  frigates,  nor  the  strength  of  their 
troops,  nor  the  time  fixed  for  the  admiral's  departure.  I  have 
still  to  learn  the  numbers  of  the  Russian  troops  at  Corfu,  nor  am 
I  acquainted  with  the  force  of  the  English  cruisers  on  those 
coasts.  Give  orders  to  General  Berthier  to  keep  a  journal  with 
an  accurate  account  of  all  that  enters  and  leaves  Corfu,  of  his 
correspondence  with  AH  Pacha  and  the  Greeks,  and  with  the 
other  Turkish  pachas.  He  ought  to  send  you  this  journal  regu 
larly.  I  was  sorry  to  see  that  on  the  20th  of  September  General 
Donzelot  and  the  14th  light  infantry  had  not  reached  Corfu. 
This  is  of  the  greatest  importance.  I  have  sent  some  biscuit  and 
corn  to  Corfu  from  Venice  and  Ancona;  I  depend  upon  your 
sending  10,000  quintals  from  Otranto.  I  wish  Corfu  to  be  sup 
plied  with  provisions  for  a  year.  I  have  ordered  250,000  francs 
in  gold  to  be  transmitted  to  Corfu,  without  fail.  It  is  of  great 
consequence  to  me  that  the  garrison  of  Corfu  should  be  paid  well 
and  regularly.  It  always  distresses  me  to  see  the  pay  of  my 
troops  in  arrear ;  it  can  be  caused  only  by  a  total  want  of  order 
in  the  administration.  But  what  is  an  ordinary  evil  in  Naples 
would  be  a  very  great  one  in  Corfu. 


[331.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct  16. 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  sent  to  you  the  regiment  of  Isembourg, 
composed  of  3  battalions,  and  I  have  directed  between  3000  and 
4000  men  to  be  sent  from  your  depots  to  reinforce  your  army. 
But,  for  Heaven's  sake,  do  not  endure  the  disgrace  of  the  pres 
ence  of  the  English  at  Reggio  and  at  Scylla ;  it  is  an  ignominy 
which  has  never  been  equalled.  On  the  9th  of  November  the 
first  detachment  from  your  depots,  consisting  of  1500  men,  ought 
to  arrive  at  Naples. 

[  332.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct.  18, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  8th,  with 
the  return  annexed.  I  see  that  you  have  nearly  40,000  men 
present  under  arms  and  7000  at  the  hospitals.  I  am  sending  to 


272  JOSEPH  OKDEKED  TO  TAKE  SCYLLA.  CHAP.  IX 

you  as  many  as  6000  men,  counting  the  regiment  of  Isembourg 
and  the  different  detachments  from  your  depots.  Your  return 
was  drawn  up  in  the  season  at  which  the  hospitals  are  fullest ; 
before  two  months  are  over,  half  the  invalids  will  have  left  them. 
How  can  you  bear  the  shame  of  the  presence  of  the  English  at 
Scylla  ?  You  were  wrong  in  allowing  them  to  establish  them 
selves  there ;  they  will  not  be  driven  out  without  a  siege.  I  re 
peat  to  you,  take  Scylla ;  all  that  General  Lamarque  alleges  in 
his  report  is  absurd.  If  I  had  40,000  men  in  Italy  I  would  be 
master  of  the  whole  kingdom  of  Naples  and  of  the  Papal  States, 
and  would  keep  20,000  men  upon  the  Adige  to  reinforce  the 
French  army.  You  will  receive  this  letter  before  the  1st  of 
November.  Before  the  end  of  that  month  let  the  English  be 
driven  out  of  Scylla,  and  no  longer  sully  by  their  presence  a 
single  spot  on  the  Continent. 

This  operation  will  restore  to  you  the  services  of  all  your 
troops.  Your  guard  is  in  itself  enough  for  Naples.  In  Novem 
ber  the  banditti  will  not  stir  a  finger,  since  your  troops  will  not 
be  stopped  by  the  heat.  Two  of  my  frigates  and  a  few  corvettes 
have  left  Toulon  for  Corfu.  Give  secret  orders  to  Otranto  and 
to  Taranto  to  the  effect  that,  if  they  present  themselves  at  those 
forts,  they  may  be  protected,  and  not  taken  for  English.  I  can 
think  of  no  place  but  Corsica  to  receive  the  4000  convicts  whom 
you  want  to  get  rid  of.  I  see  no  objection  to  your  sending  them 
thither  directly,  if  you  wish  to  do  so.  As  to  Piedmont  and  the 
interior  of  France,  they  are  already  infested  by  convicts,  and  my 
subjects  have  a  right  to  complain  that  I  allow  them  to  be  so  dis 
turbed.  Only  a  few  days  ago  six  Neapolitans  assassinated  some 
Frenchmen.  There  are  complaints  indeed  in  Corsica,  but,  as  the 
inhabitants  always  carry  arms,  they  can  protect  themselves. 


[  333.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct  18, 1907. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  an  order  which  I  have  just  issued ; 
you  will  communicate  with  the  Viceroy  as  to  its  execution.* 

*  The  nature  of  this  order  does  not  appear. — TK. 


OCT.  1807.  NEAPOLITAN  REGIMENTS.  273 

You  have  in  Italy  10  French  regiments,  or  20  battalions,  which 
at  the  rate  of  1260  each,  or  140  men  per  company,  will  make 
25,200  effective ;  2  Italian  battalions  of  2520  men,  1  Swiss  regi 
ment,  the  regiment  of  Isembourg,  and  that  of  Latour  d'Auvergne. 
There  are  2  regiments  or  4  battalions  at  Corfu,  which  will  make 
an  effective  force  of  5400,  and  an  Italian  battalion  of  1250 
men. 


[  334.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct.  18, 180T. 

My  Brother, — You  propose  to  send  me  Neapolitan  regiments, 
but  those  which  you  have  already  sent  are  not  complete.  I  do 
not  want  regiments  composed  only  of  officers.  I  do  not  object  to 
receiving  Neapolitan  regiments,  provided  that  each  company  con 
sist  of  140  men.  The  regiments  which  you  have  in  Italy  are 
composed  of  onlv  60  men  to  a  company ;  this  is  not  the  way  to 
make  regiments.  The  3rd  battalions  should  have  been  left  at 
Capua,  in  order,  in  the  favourable  season,  to  send  large  detach 
ments  to  recruit  the  two  1st  battalions.  My  two  Neapolitan  bat 
talions  will  soon  be  reduced  to  nothing.  The  regiments  which 
you  send  to  me  must,  then,  consist  of  2  battalions,  with  9  compa 
nies  in  each.  Every  company  should  cross  the  Alps  with  140 
men,  which  makes  1260  for  each  battalion.  The  3rd  battalions 
will  remain  at  Capua  to  collect  the  recruits ;  they  will  send  every 
year  from  700  to  800  men  to  reinforce  the  two  1st  battalions. 
By  this  means  it  will  be  possible  to  have  2  regiments.* 

As  to  your  having  at  Naples  Neapolitan  troops  as  good  as 
mine,  I  do  not  think  that  you  or  your  daughter  will  live  long 
enough  to  witness  such  a  miracle.  I  see  that  you  are  no  wiser 
than  three-quarters  of  mankind,  who  do  not  appreciate  the  differ 
ence  which  exists  between  troops.  You  cannot  replace  with  for 
eigners  such  troops  as  I  have  given  to  you.  The  Russian  soldiers 
are  inferior  to  mine,  the  Germans  still  more  inferior,  and  the 

*  Napoleon  estimates  that  two  battalions,  consisting  of  2520  men  in  the 
whole,  will  require  annually  from  700  to  800  recruits.  This  supposes  them  to 
be  destroyed  and  replaced  in  little  more  than  three  years. — TR. 

VOL.  I.— 12* 


274  NAPLES.— THE  AKMY.  CHAP.  IX. 

Italians  more  so  still,  and  yet  the  Italians  have  been  in  training 
for  the  last  12  years ;  there  are  many  French  among  them,  and 
they  have  passed  4  years  in  the  camp  at  Boulogne.  I  wish  you 
to  send  back  the  regiment  of  pontoneers,  the  battalion  of  artil 
lery-drivers,  and  the  French  regiment  of  horse-artillery  which 
you  have.  You  do  not  want  Neapolitan  regiments  of  artillery, 
they  would  be  of  no  use  at  Naples.  I  think  that  you  might  send 
me  back  some  more  French  cavalry  regiments ;  this  would  tend 
to  lessen  your  expenses.  Would  the  mere  idea  that  I  have  to 
leave  30,000  Frenchmen  to  guard  the  kingdom  of  Naples  serve  to 
pay  them  ?  And  would  it  not  be  a  charge  upon  France  ?  *  I  am 
glad  to  hear  what  you  tell  me  about  Roederer.  I  think  that  you 
are  wrong  to  pay  so  highly  the  French  officers  who  are  at  Naples. 
If  you  do  so  you  must  considerably  dimmish  their  numbers.  As 
to  the  contractors,  I  cannot  understand  why  you  deal  with  them, 
considering  that  you  have  everything,  corn,  wine,  cloth,  &c.  You 
want  contractors  only  for  the  fabrication  of  the  articles,  and  then 
the  sum  which  you  would  have  to  pay  them  would  be  very 
trifling. 


[335.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct  21, 1807. 

My  Brother, — It  appears  from  your  letter  that  you  spend  36 
millions  on  the  French  army;  this  is  a  great  deal  too  much. 
You  have  two  regiments  of  dragoons,  which  are  incomplete ;  if 
they  each  consisted  of  900  men  and  600  horses,  they  would  cost 
you  only  700,000  francs  apiece,  or  1,400,000  francs  for  the  two. 
You  have  three  incomplete  regiments  of  chasseurs  ;  if  each  of 
these  three  regiments  were  composed  of  800  men  and  600  horses, 
the  three  regiments  would  cost  you  only  2  million  francs.  Your 
cavalry,  therefore,  even  supposing  its  strength  to  be  more  than 
4000  men  and  3000  horses,  would  cost  you  only  3,500,000  francs. 
You  are  aware  that  there  is  a  great  difference  between  their 
present  number  and  the  complete  state  at  which  I  have  estimated 

*  This  passage  is  inserted,  though  it  has  no  meaning,  to  avoid  altering  the 
text  of  any  letter  of  Napoleon's.— ED. 


OCT.  1807.  ARMY  OF  NAPLES.  275 

them ;  they  should  therefore  cost  you  much  less.  Ten  regiments 
of  infantry,  each  consisting  of  2  battalions,  each  battalion  consist 
ing  of  1000  men,  or  20,000  in  all,  ought  to  cost  not  more  than 
10  million  francs.*  You  know  that  you  have  not  nearly  so  many. 
A  battalion  of  artillery-drivers  ought  not  to  cost  you  more  than 
400,000  francs ;  a  battalion  of  artillery  ought  to  cost  you  only 
700,000  francs.  Your  army,  therefore,  ought  not  to  cost  you 
15  millions;  and  even  from  these  15  millions  you  must  deduct 
the  difference  between  the  complete  numbers,  which  I  have  in 
serted,  and  those  which  you  actually  have.  It  is  true  that  the 
cost  of  the  generals,  of  artillery  repairs,  and  of  breakages,  must 
be  added ;  but  after  all,  if  you  put  these  at  5  millions  in  addition, 
with  20  millions  you  have  much  more  than  is  necessary  for  all 
your  expenses.  I  beg  you  to  have  all  this  calculated,  and  to  keep 
your  accounts  by  double  entries,  first  taking  each  corps  separately  ? 
and  afterwards  the  whole  collectively.  As  to  the  pay,  it  ought  to 
be  much  less  than  the  6  millions  which  I  send  to  you.  I  have 
diminished  your  expenses  considerably  by  ordering  the  officers 
of  your  3rd  and  4th  squadrons  to  return  to  Italy ;  by  desiring 
you  also  to  send  back  the  cadres  of  your  3rd  and  4th  battalions ; 
by  keeping  your  three  battalions  up  to  an  effective  force  of  140 
men  to  each  company ;  by  withdrawing  your  pontoneers,  your 
battalions  of  artillery-drivers,  and  your  horse-artillery.  You  had 
better  replace  all  these  troops  with  infantry.  In  political  admin 
istration  the  problems  arc  never  simple.  That  a  measure  is  good 
in  itself  is  not  sufficient  to  make  it  expedient.  For  instance,  it 
is  no  doubt  a  good  thing  to  have  a  regiment  of  horse-artillery,  but 
the  question  is,  is  it  the  best  thing  ?  Might  not  the  money  be 
better  employed  on  a  foot  regiment  of  3000  men,  which  would  not 
cost  more  ?  The  necessity  of  looking  carefully  to  the  state  of 
my  forces,  in  order  to  avoid  throwing  all  my  affairs  into  disorder, 
requires  that  I  should  place  my  army  of  Naples  upon  a  definite 
footing,  and  that  I  should  know  that  it  is  well  kept  up.  You 
may  understand  the  attention  which  I  am  obliged  to  bestow  upon 
these  details  when  I  tell  you  that  I  have  more  than  800,000  men 

*  202.  sterling  per  man.— TR. 


276  NAPLES.— THE  EEVENUE.  CHAP.  IX 

under  arms.  I  have  an  army  on  the  Passarge,  near  the  Niemen; 
I  have  one  at  Warsaw,  and  another  in  Silesia ;  another  at  Ham 
burgh  :  another  at  Berlin ;  and  one  at  Boulogne.  I  have  one 
which  is  marching  upon  Portugal,  and  I  am  preparing  a  second 
at  Bayonne.*  I  have  an  army  in  Dalmatia,  which  is  now  being 
reinforced  by  6000  men.  I  have  also  an  army  in  Italy,  an  army 
at  Naples,  and  garrisons  along  all  my  sea-coasts.  You  may 
judge,  then,  whether,  when  all  these  forces  flow  back  into  the 
interior  of  my  states,  and  I  shall  no  longer  have  any  aid  from 
without,  my  expenses  must  not  be  calculated  with  the  utmost 
strictness. 

You  ought  to  have  an  inspecting  officer,  capable  of  giving  you 
a  return  of  the  cost  of  a  regiment  formed  according  to  our  regu 
lations. 

[  336.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct.  21, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  see  by  your  letter  of  the  3rd  of  October 
that  your  kingdom,  taking  one  month  with  another,  gives  you 
900,000  ducats,  which  make  4,410,000  francs,  that  is  to  say 
nearly  53  millions  a  year.  This  is  very  little.  The  kingdom  of 
Italy  yields  me  122  millions.  I  should  like  to  have  a  statistical 
return  of  your  kingdom  to  make  me  well  acquainted  with  its  ex 
tent,  population,  and  taxation.  It  seems  to  me  that  your  king 
dom  ought  to  yield  at  least  100  millions. 


[337.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct.  27,  180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  16th  of 
October.  I  am  impatiently  expecting  the  report  of  the  officer 
whom  you  sent  to  Corfu.  General  Caesar  Berthier  does  not 
write.  How  is  it  possible  that  Admiral  Siniavin  should  go  to 
Messina,  when  he  has  received  orders,  which  I  myself  have  seen, 
to  proceed  to  Cadiz  or  Toulon,  or  to  one  of  your  ports  ? 

I  suppose  that  General  Donzelot,  the  14th  light  infantry,  and 

*  This  is  the  first  hint  as  to  the  seizure  of  Spain.— TB. 


OCT.  1807.  THE  ABMY.  277 

some  powder,  have  reached  Corfu.  Expeditions  have  left  Venice 
and  Ancona.  I  have  declared  war  against  Portugal ;  you  should 
therefore  seize  all  the  Portuguese  vessels  which  are  at  present, 
or  which  may  arrive,  in  your  harbours.  An  army  of  30,000 
men,  commanded  by  General  Junot,  is  already  on  the  frontiers 
of  Portugal.  I  hope  to  reach  Lisbon  in  November.  Your 
cruisers  may  take  whatever  is  under  the  Portuguese  flag.  How 
is  it  that  your  shipowners  send  out  no  privateers  ?  You  may 
send  500  convicts  to  Corsica,  embarking  them  at  Civita  Vecchia. 
They  will  have  work  found  for  them  there,  and  you  will  get  rid 
of  them. 

You  may  send  to  France  as  many  Neapolitan  regiments  as  you 
like,  but  completed  to  their  full  numbers.  I  have  brought  back 
to  France  as  many  as  possible  of  your  cadres,  and  filled  them  up 
to  140  men  per  company.  I  have  ordered  the  1st  Swiss  regi 
mens  to  pass  from  my  service  into  yours,  and  I  have  given  orders 
to  the  1st  battalion  of  this  regiment,  which  is  in  the  island  of 
Elba,  to  join  the  other  battalions  without  delay. 


[  338.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct  30, 1807. 

My  Brother, — 1500  men  from  your  depots  have  left  Ancona 
to  join  the  army  of  Naples,  and  3434  are  to  start  for  the  same 
destination  on  the  5th  November ;  this  will  give  you  a  reinforce 
ment  of  5000  men.  I  have  given  orders  that  on  the  1st  of 
January  2000  more  may  be  ready  to  start. 

I  desire  that  my  regiments  of  the  army  of  Naples,  having 
already  140  effective  in  each  company,  may  receive  each  a  rein 
forcement  of  150  men.  The  colonels  who  are  in  Italy  ought  to 
keep  them  up  to  their  full  numbers.  For  this  purpose,  you  must 
send  a  return  to  me,  and  one  to  Eugene.* 

*  The  Viceroy  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy. — TB. 


278  CODE  NAPOLEON.— ARRESTS  OEDEEED.  CHAP.  IX. 

[339.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Oct.  31, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  established 
the  Code  Napoleon  in  your  kingdom.  I  wish  it  to  become  the 
civil  law  of  your  states,  dating  from  the  1st  of  January  next.* 
Germany  has  adopted  it ;  and  Spain  will  do  so  soon.  This  will 
be  very  useful. 

You  ought  to  arrest  a  M.  B ,  a  French  emigrant  pen 
sioned  by  England ;  let  him  be  shut  up  in  a  fortress  till  we  have 
peace.  Treat  in  the  same  way  Lombardi,  Perano,  Cara,  Martini, 
the  two  brothers  Cerutti,  Laurent  Durazzo,  the  Abbe  del  Arco, 
and  the  Chevalier  de  Costes.  Prepare  a  prison  in  some  fortress, 
and  let  all  these  people  be  confined  in  it.  I  have  given  orders  to 
arrest  all  Corsicans  pensioned  by  England.  I  have  already  sent 
many  to  Fenestrelle — among  others,  one  Bertolazzi.  I  advise  you 
to  take  the  same  measures  in  your  kingdom.  Order  the  detach 
ment  of  the  81st,  which  is  at  Corfu,  to  join  its  depot  in  Italy. 
It  has  9  officers  and  183  men. 

[  340.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Nov.  2, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  23rd.  I 
have  not  yet  quite  made  up  my  mind  not  to  go  to  Italy ;  I  should 
not  like  to  cross  you  on  the  road  :  as  soon  as  I  have  decided  I 
will  write  to  you. 

Pray  make  the  expedition  to  Reggio  and  Scylla,  and  deliver 
the  Continent  from  the  presence  of  the  English.  You  have  ten 
times  as  many  troops  as  are  wanted  for  that  purpose,  and  the 
season  is  favourable.  I  see  with  pleasure  that  you  have  ordered 
the  Russian  garrison  of  Corfu,  which  has  landed  at  Manfredonia, 
to  be  well  received. 

*  This  allows  only  two  months  for  a  change  of  the  whole  civil  law  of  the 
country.  The  prophecy  that  Spain  would  soon  adopt  the  Code  Napoleon  shows 
that  Napoleon  already  contemplated  the  seizure  of  Spain. — TR. 


Nov.  1807.  COST  AND  STRENGTH  OF  JOSEPH'S  ARMY.  279 

[341.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Nov.  3, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  a  report  which  will  show  you  what 
your  army  ought  to  cost  you,  supposing  its  strength  to  consist  of 
36,000  foot  and  4000  horse  ;  and  certainly  it  does  not  amount  to 
that.  It  ought  not  to  cost  you  more  than  24  million  francs,  of 
which  only  7  or  8  millions  should  be  in  money,  and  the  rest  in 
provisions,  forage,  &c. 

[  342.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Nov.  6, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  return  of  the  ^15th 
October,  which  you  sent  to  me  with  your  letter  of  the  27th.  I 
see  by  this  return  that  you  have  27,000  men  present  under  arms. 
It  is  inconceivable  that  with  this  number  of  troops  you  should 
suffer  the  English  to  remain  at  Scylla  and  Reggio.  I  entreat  you 
not  to  lose  a  moment  in  making  this  expedition,  which  is  of  the 
greatest  importance.  A  single  division  may  march  boldly  on 
Beggio  and  Scylla,  provided  an  intermediate  division  keep  up 
the  communication  between  the  first  division  and  Naples. 

[343.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Nov.  7, 1807. 

My  Brother, — Have  you  begun  to  build  your  ships  of  the 
line  ?  When  will  they  be  finished  ?  You  ought  more  than  any 
one  else  to  feel  the  importance  of  obtaining  these  two  ships, 
which  will  put  you  in  a  condition  to  fear  nothing  from  the 
English  frigates,  and  the  English  have  not  enough  ships  of  the 
line  to  place  them  everywhere. 


280  AMMUNITION  AND  TEOOPS  FOE  COEFU.  CHAP.  IX, 

[  344.3  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Nov.  7, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  29th  of 
October,  by  which  I  see  that  you  have  sent  131,000  pounds  of 
powder  and  600,000  infantry  cartridges  to  Corfu.  I  am  surprised 
that  you  do  not  mention  my  frigates.  You  ought  to  have  heard 
of  them,  as  they  sailed  from  Toulon  in  the  beginning  of  October. 

Order  the  6th  regiment  of  chasseurs  to  proceed  without  delay 
to  Treviose.  I  wish  no  time  to  be  lost  in  executing  this  order. 

[  345.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Fontainebleau,  Nov.  7, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  have  told  you  that  I  wished  Cephalonia  to 
be  garrisoned  by  Albanian  troops,  and  that  there  should  be  no 
French  troops  in  that  island,  except  one  or  two  officers.  The 
same  thing  with  respect  to  Zante.  Two  of  my  frigates  and  one 
corvette  ought  by  this  time  to  have  arrived  at  Corfu ;  they  left 
Toulon  on  the  7th  of  October.  When  you  receive  this  letter  40 
days  will  have  passed  since  their  departure ;  you  ought  then  to 
have  some  news  of  them.  These  frigates  may  be  useful  in  trans 
porting  my  soldiers  to  Corfu.  I  hope  that  the  troops  sent  thither 
by  the  Viceroy  to  complete  the  6th  and  the  14th  have  all  arrived. 
On  the  reception  of  this  letter  I  wish  you  to  send  to  Corfu  a 
battalion  of  the  2nd  Italian  regiment,  which  you  will  complete 
as  fully  as  you  can.  You  will  likewise  send  thither  a  Neapolitan 
regiment  complete  to  140  men  per  company.  Two  battalions  of 
Latour  d'Auvergne  should  also  be  sent ;  their  numbers  should  be 
increased  so  as  to  make  altogether  1800  men.  Add  to  these  200 
French  and  Italian  artillery.  You  will  therefore  send  to  Corfu  a 
reinforcement  of  3600  men,  which,  with  the  6th  of  the  line,  the 
14th  light  infantry,  the  5th  Italian  regiment,  and  the  artillery, 
will  form  a  division  of  more  than  8000  men.  Send  Brigadier- 
General  Valentin  to  Corfu  in  order  that  there  may  always  be 
there  besides  the  Governor-General  two  brigadier-generals. 


DEC.  1807.  PROVISIONS  FOR  CORFU.  281 

Send  thither  likewise  the  staff-officer  Romeuf,  and  several  officers 
of  the  staff.  Send  also  a  squadron  of  chasseurs  of  200  men,  a 
company  of  horse  artillery  with  120  horses,  so  that  there  may 
always  be  a  division  of  artillery  in  Corfu  with  8  pieces  of  cannon. 
There  are  only  120  gunners  in  those  islands ;  that  is  clearly  in 
sufficient.  Pray  have  these  orders  executed  punctually.  In  the 
return  which  you  have  sent  to  me  I  see  that  there  is  but  one 
adjutant  commandant :  one  is  not  enough.  I  entreat  you  to  sup 
ply  Corfu  as  soon  as  you  can  with  provisions,  corn,  and  powder. 
It  is  necessary  that  you  should  send  thither  several  hundred 
thousand  cartridges,  and  that  there  should  be  corn  enough  there 
to  last  a  year.  General  Caesar  Berthier  ought  to  be  master  of 
the  island,  and  never,  under  any  circumstances,  to  suffer  himself 
to  be  shut  up  in  the  fortress.  With  the  troops  which  I  am  send 
ing  to  him  he  may  assume  this  attitude,  since  he  will  have  from 
8000  to  9000  men.  This  is  connected  with  some  larger  schemes 
of  which  you  know  nothing.*  Lose  no  time  therefore.  There 
ought  to  be  400  artillerymen  in  Corfu.  Send  thither  also 
another  detachment  of  military  artificers.  You  do  not  answer 
all  my  letters,  nor  do  you  correspond  with  Corfu.  I  ordered  the 
fortifications  of  Corfu,  Parga,  and  Santa  Maura  to  be  gone  on 
with  :  I  hear  nothing  about  it.  I  have  desired  the  Viceroy  to 
send  thither  some  biscuit,  much  corn,  and  some  powder.  In 
this  season  the  enemy's  cruisers  cannot  prevent  the  arrival  of  our 
ships. 

The  Viceroy  tells  me  that  on  the  2nd  of  October  he  sent 
2200  tons  of  flour  to  Corfu ;  between  the  15th  and  the  22nd 
15,000  rations  of  biscuit ;  and  that  on  the  20th  of  October  he 
sent  off  some  powder  and  shot  from  Venice. 


[346.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Nov.  20, 180T. 

Monsieur  mon  Frere, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the 
7th,  9th,  llth,  and  12th  of  November.  I  have  been  two  days  in 

*  Under  the  agreement  made  at  Tilsit  by  Napoleon  and  Alexander  for  the 
partition  of  Turkey,  France  was  to  have  Greece.  Corfu  was  a  stepping-stone. 
— TR. 


282  LUCIEN'S  INTERVIEW  WITH  NAPOLEON.  CHAP.  IX 

Milan.  I  shall  reach  Venice  on  the  2nd  of  December.  Berthier 
must  have  written  to  tell  you  that  I  shall  be  glad  to  meet  you 
there,  if  your  affairs  permit  you  to  come.  I  am  impatiently  ex 
pecting  to  hear  of  the  arrival  of  the  14th  light  infantry,  the 
detachment  of  the  6th,  and  the  artillery,  at  Corfu,  that  the 
French  troops  are  assembled,  and  that  I  am  prepared  there  to 
repel  any  aggression  on  the  part  of  the  English,  and  to  defend 
not  only  the  fortress  but  the  whole  island.  You  should  continue 
to  correspond  with  Ali  Pacha,  and  let  him  know  that  I  learnt 
with  regret  the  change  in  his  feelings  towards  me ;  that,  instead 
of  sending  abundance  of  provisions  to  the  Ionian  Islands,  he 
refused  even  to  give  them  what  they  asked  for;  tell  him  that 
his  conduct  has  been  neither  right,  wise,  nor  politic.  Whereupon, 
Monsieur  mon  Frere,  I  pray  God  that  he  keep  you  in  his  holy 
and  honourable  care. 

[  347.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Dec.  17, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  saw  Lucien  at  Mantua,  and  had  with  him  a 
conversation  of  several  hours.  He  has  no  doubt  acquainted  you 
with  the  sentiments  with  which  he  left  me.  His  notions  and  his 
expressions  are  so  different  from  mine  that  I  can  hardly  make 
out  what  it  is  that  he  wants ;  I  think  that  he  told  me  that  he 
wished  to  send  his  eldest  daughter  to  Paris  to  live  with  her 
grandmother.  If  he  still  is  thus  disposed,  I  desire  to  be  imme 
diately  informed  of  it ;  the  girl  must  reach  Paris  in  the  course 
of  the  month  of  January,  either  accompanied  by  Lucien  or  under 
the  charge  of  a  governess  who  will  take  her  to  Madame.  It 
appeared  to  me  that  there  was  in  Lucien's  mind  a  contest  be 
tween  opposite  feelings,  and  that  he  had  not  sufficient  strength 
to  decide  in  favour  of  any  one  of  them.  I  exhausted  all  the  means 
in  my  power  to  induce  him,  young  as  he  is,  to  devote  his  talents 
to  my  service  and  to  that  of  his  country.  If  he  wishes  to  let  me 
have  his  daughter,  she  must  set  off  without  delay  and  he  must 
send  me  a  declaration  putting  her  entirely  at  my  disposal :  for 
there  is  not  a  moment  to  lose,  events  are  hastening  on,  and  my 
destiny  must  be  accomplished.  If  he  has  changed  his  mind,  let 


DEC.  1807.  LUCIEN'S  INTERVIEW  WITH  NAPOLEON.  283 

me  know  it  immediately,  for  I  shall  then  make  other  arrange 
ments. 

Tell  Lucien  that  I  was  touched  by  his  grief  and  by  the  feel 
ings  which  he  expressed  towards  me ;  and  that  I  regret  the  more 
that  he  will  not  be  reasonable  and  contribute  to  his  own  comfort 
and  to  mine. 

I  think  that  this  letter  will  reach  you  on  the  22nd.  My  last 
news  from  Lisbon  are  dated  the  28th  of  November ;  the  Prince- 
Regent  had  embarked  for  the  Brazils,  he  was  still  in  the  road 
stead  of  Lisbon ;  my  troops  were  only  at  a  few  leagues'  distance 
from  the  forts  which  form  the  entrance  of  the  roadstead.  I  have 
heard  from  Spain  no  more  than  is  contained  in  the  letter  which 
you  have  read.  I  am  waiting  with  impatience  for  a  clear  and 
decisive  answer,  particularly  with  regard  to  Charlotte.* 

P.S.  My  troops  entered  Lisbon  on  the  30th  of  November ;  the 
Prince  Royal  escaped  in  a  man  of  war ;  I  have  taken  5  ships  of 
the  line  and  6  frigates.  On  the  2nd  of  December  all  was  going 
on  well  at  Lisbon.  England  declared  war  against  Russia  on  the 
6th  of  December.  Pass  this  news  on  to  Corfu.  The  Queen  of 
Tuscany  is  here  :  she  wishes  to  go  to  Madrid. 


The  reader  may  be  interested  by  Thiers's  relation  of  the  in 
terview  between  Napoleon  and  Lucien. 

"  M.  de  Meneval  went  during  the  night  to  bring  Lucien  from 
his  inn  to  Napoleon's  palace.  Instead  of  throwing  himself  into 
his  brother's  arms,  Lucien  addressed  him  with  a  haughtiness 
excusable  in  a  man  without  material  power,  but  perhaps  carried 
further  than  mere  self-respect  required.  The  interview  was 
painful  and  stormy,  but  not  useless.  Among  the  possible  arrange 
ments  in  Spain  one  was  that  of  the  marriage  of  a  French  prin 
cess  to  Ferdinand.  Napoleon  had  just  received  a  letter  from 

*  Lucien's  daughter. — TR. 


284  LUCIEN'S  INTERVIEW  WITH  NAPOLEON.  CHAP.  IX 

Charles  IV.,  repeating  his  request  for  such  a  marriage,  and, 
though  he  leant  towards  a  more  radical  solution,  he  did  not  ex 
clude  this  middle  course  from  his  projects.  He  wished  Lucien 
then  to  give  him  his  daughter  by  his  first  wife  to  be  brought  up 
by  the  Empress-Mother,  to  imbibe  the  feelings  of  the  family,  and 
to  be  sent  to  Spain  to  regenerate  the  Bourbons.  If  it  should  not 
suit  him  to  give  her  this  part  to  play,  there  were  other  thrones, 
more  or  less  lofty,  to  which  he  could  raise  her.  As  for  Lucien, 
he  wished  to  make  him  a  French  prince,  and  even  king  of  Portu 
gal,  which  would  put  him  in  the  neighbourhood  of  his  daughter, 
on  condition  of  his  dissolving  his  second  marriage,  the  divorced 
wife  being  indemnified  by  a  title  and  a  great  fortune. 

"These  arrangements  were  practicable,  but  they  were  de 
manded  with  authority  and  refused  with  anger ;  and  the  brothers 
separated,  both  excited  and  irritated,  but  without  a  quarrel,  since 
a  part  of  what  Napoleon  asked — the  sending  Lucien's  daughter 
to  Paris — took  place  a  few  days  after."* 


[348.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Milan,  Dec.  17, 180T. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  llth  of 
December  from  Bologna.  I  see  by  the  letters  which  you  annex 
that  several  ships  have  been  taken  near  Otranto.  There  seems 
to  be  mismanagement  in  that  quarter.  Send  thither  a  naval  officer. 

Why  not  make  the  ships  sail  at  fixed  times  ?  This  would  be 
much  better  than  allowing  them  to  start  without  superintend 
ence  and  several  together. 

*  Thiers,  vol.  viii.  p.  365. 


JAN.  180a  THE  MILAN  DECREE.  285 

[349.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Turin,  Dec.  28, 1807. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  a  copy  of  a  decree  which  I  have 
just  issued  in  consequence  of  the  changes  in  the  commerce  by 
sea.  I  wish  it  to  be  executed  in  your  dominions.*  Equip  as 
many  privateers  as  you  can  to  pursue  the  ships  which  communi 
cate  with  Sicily,  Malta,  or  Gibraltar,  and  which  go  to  and  from 
England.  I  have  ordered  an  embargo  upon  all  Sardinian  ships 
and  ships  coming  from  Sardinia.  It  is  by  means  of  Sardinia  that 
the  English  correspond  at  present.  I  have  ordered  all  vessels 
coming  from  thence  to  be  stopped.  It  is  advisable  not  to  make 
this  measure  public.  I  start  in  an  hour,  and  I  shall  reach  Paris 
on  the  night  of  the  1st.  Whereupon  I  pray  God  that  he  may 
keep  you  in  his  holy  and  honourable  care. 


[  350.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

1  Paris,  Jan.  10, 1808. 

My  Brother, — There  is  no  end  of  the  impertinences  of  the 
court  of  Rome ;  I  am  anxious  to  have  done  with  it.f  I  have 
dismissed  its  negotiators.  I  wish  you  to  assemble  at  Terracina 
a  column  of  2000  Neapolitan  troops,  infantry  and  cavalry,  a 
French  battalion  of  from  800  to  900  men,  a  cavalry  regiment 
of  400  men,  4  Neapolitan  and  6  French  pieces  of  horse  artillery, 
which  will  make  3000  men  and  10  pieces  of  cannon :  you  will 
do  all  this  quietly.  You  will  put  this  column  under  the  orders 
of  a  brigadier-general,  who  will  wait  at  Terracina  for  orders  from 

*  The  Milan  Decree,  which  declared  subject  to  capture  every  ship  which 
had  touched  at  any  port  in  the  British  Islands  or  in  the  British  colonies.  It 
was  provoked  by  our  Orders  in  Council,  which  declared  subject  to  capture 
every  ship  which  had  not  touched  at  a  port  in  the  British  Islands  or  in  the 
British  Colonies.  Between  the  two  all  commerce  by  sea  by  any  nation  what 
ever  was  prohibited. — TR. 

t  In  a  letter  dated  the  26th  December,  1807,  to  which  this  is  an  answer, 
Joseph  complained  that  an  agent  and  a  consul  from  the  ex-King  of  Naples 
were  allowed  to  reside  and  to  display  the  old  Neapolitan  arms  in  Rome ;  that 
the  Pope  not  only  did  not  acknowledge  Joseph,  but  had  even  appointed  Bishop 
of  Capri  a  nominee  of  the  ex-King. — TR. 


286  EXPEDITION  TO  EOME.  CHAP.  IX. 

General  Miollis,  under  whose  command  the  column  is  to  be. 
General  Miollis  is  collecting  3000  men  at  Perugia,  and  General 
Lemarois  as  many  at  Foligno.  With  these  6000  men  Miollis 
will  march  towards  Rome,  as  if  he  were  going  to  rejoin  the  army 
of  Naples.  When  he  has  reached  Rome  he  will  take  possession 
of  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  and  assume  the  title  of  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  troops  in  the  papal  states,  and  he  will  send  orders 
to  your  division  at  Terracina  to  join  him  in  Rome  as  soon  as 
possible.  You  feel  that  this  expedition  must  be  kept  very  secret. 
Your  column  of  Terracina  ought  to  time  its  movements  so  as  not 
to  reach  Rome  until  General  Miollis  has  entered  the  city.  Per 
haps  it  need  not  enter,  but  it  must  be  within  four  or  five  leagues. 
I  will  desire  the  Viceroy  to  let  you  know  on  what  day  General 
Miollis  is  to  reach  Rome,  that  the  column  may  not  march  till 
the  last  moment.  I  reserve  my  further  orders  till  Miollis  arrives 
in  Rome. 


[351.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  11, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  thank  you  for  your  new  year's  wishes. 
You  will  see  that  I  answer  your  letter  of  the  26th  of  December 
by  the  measures  of  which  my  yesterday's  letter  has  informed 
you.  With  regard  to  the  pamphlet  which  you  mention,*  I 
paid  no  attention  to  it — I  am  accustomed  to  such  intrigues. 
In  general  I  do  not  read  what  is  addressed  to  me  through  the 
press. 

[352.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  12, 1S08. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  a  report  from  the  Minister  of  Ma 
rine.  Captain  Trullet  can  protect  your  convoys  from  Otranto  to 
Corfu.  Let  me  know  what  you  intend  to  send  by  them. 

*  Joseph  had  warned  his  brother  against  giving  credit  to  a  pamphlet  of 
one  Giraud,  in  which  the  government  of  Naples  was  attacked. — TB. 


JAN.  1808.  POWDER  AT  COEFU.  287 

[353.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  18, 1808. 

My  Brother, — There  is  no  doubt  that  the  troops  which  are  at 
Corfu  should  remain  under  your  orders  as  commander-in-chief  of 
my  army  of  Naples.  You  tell  me  that  the  Russians  have  left 
behind  them  three  magazines  full  of  powder ;  write  to  General 
C.  Berthier  to  take  possession  of  them;  there  can  be  no  difficulty 
about  it.  If  you  have  any  information  concerning  the  quantity 
of  powder  contained  in  these  magazines,  let  me  have  it.  There 
ought  by  this  time  to  be  no  Russians  at  Corfu. 


[354.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  18, 1808. 

My  Brother, — Your  aide-de-camp  has  been  very  well  received 
by  the  Emperor  of  Russia — he  has  appointed  a  minister  to  your 
court.  M.  de  Mondragone*  will  be  well  received;  I  thought 
that  he  was  already  on  his  way  to  Paris.  Desire  him  to  start 
without  delay.  A  courier,  whom  I  expect  in  four  days,  will 
bring  the  Emperor's  answer,  but  you  ought  not  to  keep  Mondra 
gone  till  it  arrives. 

[  355.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  24, 1808. 

My  Brother, — My  squadron  from  Rochefort  sailed  on  the 
17th  of  January  with  a  fair  wind  under  orders  for  Toulon; 
there  it  will  join  my  Toulon  squadron.  I  think  therefore  that 
between  the  10th  and  15th  of  February  they  will  appear  before 
Naples.  In  the  first  place  it  is  necessary  that  the  roadstead  of 
Baia  should  be  fortified  in  such  a  manner  as  to  protect  my 
squadron  if  it  should  be  attacked  by  a  superior  force,  and  to 
secure  it  against  all  hazards.  You  must  fit  out  your  frigates 
and  your  gunboats,  and  collect  the  brigs  which  are  scattered 
about  your  coasts,  in  order  to  assemble  a  considerable  number  of 

*  Joseph's  ambassador  to  St.  Petersburg. — ED. 


288  INSTEUCTIONS  FOE  THE  CHAP.  IX. 

transports  for  the  Sicilian  expedition.  My  wish  is,  that  Mar 
shal  Jourdan,  accompanied  by  General  Salligny  and  9000  men, 
should  embark  on  board  this  squadron,  which  will  take  them 
straight  to  the  coast  of  Sicily,  as  near  Messina  as  possible,  where 
they  will  effect  a  landing ;  and  at  the  same  instant  General  Reg- 
nier,  with  another  9000,  will  embark  at  Reggio  and  Scylla  in 
gunboats,  brigs,  polacres,  and  other  small  vessels  of  the  country, 
and  thus  form  an  army  of  18,000  men.  A  battery  of  1 8  pieces 
of  artillery  and  6  mortars  should  be  immediately  constructed 
on  the  promontory  of  Faro,  opposite  to  Scylla,  and  a  similar  one 
should  be  erected  at  Scylla.  The  battery  at  Faro  should  be  in 
trenched  and  fortified,  so  as  to  be  defended  even  on  the  land 
side.  These  two  formidable  batteries  will  render  the  sea  no 
longer  an  obstacle,  and  the  communication  between  Scylla  and 
Faro  will  be  always  easy.  You  will  continue  to  send  over,  by 
means  of  gunboats,  vessels  of  the  country,  &-c.,  all  the  requisite 
reinforcements.  With  13,000  French,  2000  or  3000  Neapo 
litans,  and  other  troops,  and  a  safe  communication,  Sicily  is  ours, 
for  the  English  will  not  persist  in  defending  the  island  if  it  is  im 
possible  for  them  to  intercept  the  communication  between  Messina 
and  Scylla.  If  my  squadron,  on  reaching  Faro,  is  able  to  carry 
off  some  ships  and  damage  the  enemy,  it  may  do  so,  but  I  wish 
it  not  to  remain  anchored  for  more  than  forty-eight  hours  off  the 
coast  of  Sicily,  but  to  stand  out  again  to  sea  in  order  to  proceed 
to  Taranto  or  return  to  Toulon,  as  the  wind  may  serve.  Sup 
posing  all  this  to  happen,  and  your  troops  to  be  already  gone, 
those  which  reach  Rome  on  the  1st  of  February  will  proceed 
towards  Naples,  and  I  have  taken  other  measures  to  send  you  a 
force  sufficient  to  hold  Reggio,  Scylla,  Taranto,  and  Naples  with 
an  iron  hand.  You  will  receive  this  letter  on  the  2nd  of  Feb 
ruary,  I  may  get  your  answer  on  the  10th,  and  my  final  orders 
may  reach  Toulon  on  the  14th,  probably  ^before  the  arrival  of  my 
squadron.  These  are  the  questions  to  which  I  desire  an  answer  : — 
1.  Will  12  vessels  of  the  line  and  a  few  frigates  be  safe  in 
the  roadstead  of  Baia,  whatever  may  happen  ?  Let  me  have  a 
sketch  of  it,  and  tell  me  what  batteries  you  have  there. 


JAN.  1808.  EXPEDITION  TO  SICILY.  289 

2.  Would  the  same  squadron  at  Taranto  be  protected  against 
a  superior  hostile  force  ? 

3.  Are  you  master  of  Scylla  ?     Is  it  certain  that  the  mortars 
and   guns   of  the  battery  at  Scylla  would  cross  fire  with   that 
which  is  to  be  established  at  Faro  ? 

4.  How  many  gunboats,  speronari  and  other  boats  have  you 
whi  jh  might  facilitate  General  Reynier's  embarkation  ? 

5.  Will  your  three  frigates  be  equipped  and  able  to  join  my 
squadron,  so  as  to  afford  further  means  of  transport  for  my  troops  ? 

6.  Have  you  500,000  rations  of  biscuit  ?     If  not,  let  them  be 
made,  and  let  the  ships  carry  them,  that  they  may  be  landed 
with  the  troops, 

7.  Are  the  speronari  safe  in  Reggio  and  Scylla  from  the  dan 
gers  of  the  sea,  and  from  the  attack  of  a  superior  force  ? 

8.  Where  is  it  thought  that  the  squadron  ought  to  anchor,  to 
effect  a  landing  and  take  immediate  possession  of  Faro  ? 

9.  Can  you  embark  in  the  transports  six  12-inch  mortars, 
3000  shells  with  their  appurtenances,  nine  mortar-beds,  eighteen 
24  or  36-pounders  in  iron  or  brass,  with  500  rounds  apiece,  in 
order  immediately  to  arm  the  battery  of  Faro  ? 

10.  Have  you  vessels  which  you  can  turn  into  horse-trans 
ports  for  400  artillery  horses  ?     These  vessels  must  ply  between 
Scylla  and  the  coast  of  Messina,  so  as  to  land  all  the  cavalry. 

11.  What  number  of  speronari,  gondolas,  or  other  boats  can 
you  add  to  my  squadron  in  order  to  hasten  the  landing  ? 

I  have  added  an  extra  boat  to  each  vessel.  You  will  let  into 
the  secret  only  Salicetti,  Jourdan,  and  one  officer  of  the  navy ; 
and  you  will  conceal  even  from  them  that  my  squadron  is 
coming  from  Rochefort  and  Toulon — keep  that  to  yourself. 
Within  four-and- twenty  hours  after  the  arrival  of  my  squadron 
at  Baia  you  will  embark  the  8000  infantry,  1000  artillery  and 
sappers  and  miners,  with  20  field-pieces  and  a  caisson  apiece : 
the  remainder  should  be  embarked  in  the  transports,  or  even  in 
your  three  frigates,  which,  if  you  like,  you  may  have  armed 
enflide.  You  will  embark  your  biscuit  in  the  transports.  My 
squadron  may  also,  when  the  troops  are  put  on  shore,  land,  if 

necessary,  3000  or  4000  rations  of  biscuit.     Send  likewise  about 
VOL.  I.— 13 


290  INSTEUCTION8  FOE  THE  OIIAP.  IX. 

thirty  masons,  with  the  means  of  constructing  six  ovens,  and 
some  gangs  of  bakers.  You  will  put  on  board  draft-horses  or 
mules,  but  all  this  should  be  done  so  quietly  as  not  to  betray 
any  extraordinary  movement.  The  squadron  may  easily  carry 
18,000  men,  but  there  are  in  every  regiment  servants  and  non- 
combatants,  so  that  I  think  you  could  embark  conveniently  only 
9000  good  infantry,  that  is  to  say,  6  regiments,  taking  care 
that  each  regiment  may  leave  4  companies  at  Naples ;  there 
fore,  instead  of  18  companies,  not  more  than  14  will  go,  con 
taining  each  1400  men  present  under  arms.  The  cavalry 
will  embark  at  Reggio.  As  soon,  however,  as  your  movements 
are  revealed  you  may  direct  your  cavalry  to  the  points  which, 
under  the  protection  of  the  batteries,  it  can  reach  without 
danger.  You  know  that  the  transformation  of  ships  of  thirty 
or  forty  tons  into  horse-transports  is  the  affair  of  an  instant. 

The  principle  on  which  this  expedition  is  founded  is  this  :  to 
gain  possession  of  Scylla  and  Faro.  If  you  can  only  keep  Faro 
for  a  certain  period,  you  will  be  master  of  Sicily.  Load  some 
small  vessels  with  20,000  quintals  of  flour,  which  you  will  obtain 
at  Naples  or  elsewhere,  and  you  will  have  all  that  is  requisite  to 
be  master  of  the  passage  as  long  as  it  is  wanted,  and  to  send  over 
as  many  troops  as  you  like  ;  and  even  the  English  will  not  accept 
the  challenge.  When  I  say  biscuit,  I  mean  also  rice  and  brandy. 
If  fortune  seconds  my  undertaking,  I  may  keep  possession  of  the 
passage  from  Naples  to  Sicily  for  a  week.  Embark  with  each 
battalion  200  pioneers'  tools,  in  order  that  they  may  be  able  to 
intrench  themselves  immediately,  to  erect  the  battery  which  will 
close  the  straits,  to  construct  ovens,  to  hut  themselves,  and  then 
Sicily  is  taken.  Your  local  knowledge  may  suggest  modifications 
of  this  plan,  always  retaining  this  foundation,  to  obtain  the  com 
mand  of  Faro  and  Scylla ;  the  other  places  fall  of  themselves. 
It  might  be  proposed  to  go  straight  to  Palermo  ;  but  this  would 
be  hazardous.  The  possession  of  Palermo  will  not  give  you  Sicily, 
but  that  of  Faro  will ;  the  communication  is  everything.  I  pre 
sume  that  you  will  send  with  the  army  some  faithful  and  clever 
Neapolitans,  to  give  the  necessary  information.  There  are  two 
leagues  between  Faro  and  Messina;  you  may  therefore  be  master 


JAN.  1808.  EXPEDITION  TO  SICILY.  291 

of  Faro  without  Messina.  An  intrenched  camp  may  be  formed, 
the  left  side  towards  the  sea  and  the  right  towards  Messina,  or 
intersecting  the  small  peninsula  of  Faro. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  you  must  take  possession  instantly  of 
Melazzo.  At  Melazzo  means  of  subsistence  will  be  found.  What 
sort  of  a  place  is  Melazzo  ?  Can  my  ships  be  protected  there 
against  a  superior  force,  if  a  battery  be  immediately  established  ? 
Is  there  a  road  for  the  artillery  between  Melazzo,  Faro,  and  Mes 
sina?  Are  there  any  rivers  or  torrents  between  Melazzo  and 
Faro  which  prevent  communication  ?  In  my  opinion,  you  should 
land'as  near  Faro  as  possible,  but  still  it  must  be  in  a  place  where 
you  can  anchor  and  disembark.  By  a  quick  march  you  can  seize 
Messina,  should  the  English  not  be  there ;  and  I  think  it  unlikely 
that  they  will  shut  themselves  up  in  that  place.  If  they  keep  the 
citadel,  you  will  get  everything  by  taking  the  town.  I  need  not 
tell  you  that  every  man  should  have  50  cartridges  in  his  knapsack 
and  50  more  in  his  box,  and  you  ought  to  embark  100  more  in 
the  small  vessels.  When  the  men  land,  they  will  take  out  their 
boxes  and  biscuits.  This  operation  will  probably  be  accomplished 
if  it  is  kept  quite  secret.  I  shall  postpone  giving  you  the  last 
instructions  till  I  receive  an  answer  to  this  letter. 

Let  me  know  where  you  hear  that  the  English  ships  are.  In 
your  return  of  the  15th  of  December,  which  is  the  last  that  I 
have,  I  see  that  you  have  at  Naples,  the  29th,  52nd,  and  102nd, 
and  that  these  three  regiments  can  supply  the  1400  men  whom  I 
ask  for ;  the  20th  of  the  line,  which  is  at  Salerno,  and  the  10th, 
which  is  in  the  Abruzzi,  can  furnish  you  with  as  many  artillery; 
you  have  companies  of  artillery  artificers,  sappers  and  miners  :  so 
that  the  number  of  men  that  you  require  is  ready.  I  conclude  that 
you  have  reinforced  Reynier's  division  since  you  have  sent  troops 
to  Reggio.  I  see  that  you  have  altogether  present  under  arms 
17,000  French  infantry,  2400  cavalry,  and  1700  artillery.  You 
may  devote  to  the  expedition  12,000  infantry,  2000  cavalry,  1000 
artillery  and  sappers  and  miners,  which  will  make  15,000  men. 
The  2000  Italian  foot,  the  regiments  of  Isembourg  and  of  Latour 
d'Auvergne,  and  your  Neapolitan  army  will  afford  3000  without 
counting  another  reinforcement  of  4000  men,  which  will  arrive  by 


292  INSTKUCTIONS  FOE  THE  CHAP.  IX. 

Reggio.  During  this  time  you  will  receive  the  division  of  Miol- 
lis,  and  other  troops  which  I  am  directing  on  Florence,  and  which 
will  soon  join  you.  The  troops  which  will  embark  at  Reggio 
should  be  formed  into  two  divisions  of  4500  men  each,  the  same 
as  to  those  from  Naples,  and  these  divisions  should  be  com 
manded  by  one  general  of  division  and  two  brigadier-generals. 
French  troops  require  a  great  many  generals.  Besides,  it  is  you 
who  begin  hostilities,  and  you  will  send  all  your  army  of  Naples. 
The  great  point  is,  that  you  should  be  master  of  Scylla  and  Mes 
sina,  or  at  least  of  Faro.  The  English,  who  are  far  from  expecting 
this  expedition,  will  not  be  ready  in  less  than  a  month  to  oppose 
my  9000  men,  and  in  this  time  you  will  reinforce  them  with  9000 
more,  and  your  kingdom  will  receive  all  the  troops  whom  you  want. 

P.  S.  You  will  find  annexed  a  plan  for  your  army,  arranged 
as  I  think  it  ought  to  be. 

No  one  here  is  acquainted  with  the  coast  of  Sicily ;  and  at 
this  season  it  is  of  great  consequence  that  my  squadron  should 
enter  a  roadstead  whence  a  landing  may  be  effected  with  security. 
Melazzo  is  exposed  to  a  squall  from  the  north ;  if  my  squadron 
met  with  a  north  wind  there,  would  it  run  the  risk  of  being 
stranded  ?  If  my  squadron  were  to  reach  Reggio,  either  by  forc 
ing  a  passage  through  the  strait,  or  by  going  round  Sicily,  is  there 
a  bay  between  Messina  and  Catania  in  which  the  men  might  dis 
embark,  sheltered  from  the  wind?  How  many  ships  has  the 
enemy  at  Messina  ?  Are  they  protected  by  his  batteries  ?  If 
there  should  be  no  roadstead  or  harbour  between  Messina  and 
Catania,  it  may  be  necessary  to  go  straight  to  Palermo.  What 
are  the  fortifications  of  that  town  ?  Where  would  the  squadron 
anchor  ?  Would  it  be  protected  from  the  enemy  ?  To  go  to 
Palermo  would  require  three-quarters  of  the  troops  comprised  in 
the  return  which  I  enclose,  that  is  to  say,  you  would  need  15,000 
men.  You  might  embark  1500  cavalry  soldiers  with  only  their 
saddles ;  they  would  find  horses  at  Palermo.  But  my  squadron, 
and  that  of  Toulon,  will  not  be  able  to  transport  more  than 
11,000  men.  Can  you  between  the  10th  and  15th  of  February 
find  means  of  embarking  from  Naples  4000  infantry  and  600 


JAN.  1808.  EXPEDITION  TO  SICILY.  293 

horses  ?  How  many  ships  have  you  ?  and  of  what  size  ?  If 
your  three  frigates  are  ready  for  sea,  they  must  be  armed  in  flute  ; 
in  this  way  they  alone  will  carry  1500  men.  You  must  feel  how 
anxious  I  am  to  receive  answers  to  these  questions.  Whatever 
may  happen,  I  strongly  advise  you  to  put  the  batteries  in  the 
roadstead  of  Baia  into  a  good  state.  I  see  three  principal  points 
on  the  plan ;  at  each  of  these  points  there  must  be  20  pieces  of 
ordnance,  of  which  at  least  four  should  be  mortars.  Order  the 
batteries  aud  platforms  to  be  prepared,  but  quietly  and  without 
appearing  to  do  anything  extraordinary,  so  that,  as  soon  as  the 
expedition  becomes  notorious,  the  pieces  of  artillery  may  be  car 
ried  thither  in  24  hours.  I  suppose  that  between  Naples  and 
Scylla  there  is  no  tolerable  roadstead  in  which  my  squadron  could 
be  protected  from  the  north  wind.  Send  me  likewise  the  state 
and  position  of  your  navy,  and  every  detail  concerning  the  coast 
of  Sicily.  A  coast-guard  officer,  well  acquainted  with  the  har 
bours,  bays,  and  roads  of  that  island,  would  be  of  great  use  to 
me.  Send  me  a  Sicilian,  a  practical  engineer  and  a  sailor ;  both 
of  them  should  be  here  before  the  10th  of  February.  Secrecy 
and  secrecy.  • 

COMPOSITION   OF    THE   ARMY   OF    SICILY   REFERRED    TO   BY   THE 
PREVIOUS    LETTER. 

Staff. 

Marshal  Jourdan,  commander-in-chief. 

General  Dedon,  commanding  the  artillery. 

Four  adjutants-commandants,  French. 

Eight  adjoints  to  the  staff,  French. 

Two  adjutants-commandants,  Neapolitan. 

Four  adjoints  to  the  staff,  Neapolitan. 

A  colonel  and  a  major  of  artillery,  French,  commanding  the  park. 

Three  field-officers  and  six  captains  of  artillery,  French. 

One  field-officer  and  three  captains  of  artillery,  Neapolitan. 

Two  field-officers  and  six  officers  of  engineers,  French. 

Eight  officers  of  engineers,  Neapolitan. 


294  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  CHAP.  IX. 


FIRST     DIVISION. 

General  of  Division  Lamarque,  commander. 
Lucotte  and  Huart,  generals  of  brigade. 

First  Brigade. 

A  regiment  of  infantry,  French,  of  two  battalions,  each 
battalion  seven  companies,  including  grenadiers  and 
light  companies,  each  company  150  men  present  .  1500 

Note. — There  will  remain  in  the  depot  at  Naples  two  com 
panies  of  each  battalion  to  receive  the  men  leaving  the 
hospitals,  and  the  recruits  from  the  depots  in  Upper 
Italy. 

A  regiment  of  light  infantry,  Neapolitan  .         .     1000 

Total  of  first  brigade        .  .        .     2500 

• 

Second  Brigade. 

A  similar  French  regiment  ....  1500 

An  Italian  regiment    .         .         .  .         .     1000 

2500 

Two  companies  of  artillery,  one  French,  the  other  Nea 
politan,  and  one  company  of  drivers,  300  men,  will  be 
attached  to  the  division  300 

Total  of  division  5300 


SECOND      DIVISION. 

First  Brigade. 

A  French  regiment,  and  1000  men  from  the  regi 
ment  of  Isembourg  or  Latour  d'Auvergne        .     2500 


JAN.  1808.  AEMY  OF  SICILY.  295 

Brought  forward          .        .     2500    5300 

Second  Brigade. 

A   French    regiment,   and   1000   Neapolitans   or 

Corsicans 2500 

A  French  and  Neapolitan  company  of  artillery,  and 

a  company  of  drivers      .....       300 

Total  of  second  division          .         .     5300 

General  Salligny  or  Maurice  Mathieu  may  command  this 
division.     For  generals  of  brigade,  General  jyEerlin  or 

Digonnet,  or  any  one  else.  

General  total          ....  10,600 

Thus  these  two  first  divisions,  which  will  embark  at  Naples, 
will  consist  of : — 

French  infantry 6000 

Italian 1000 

Auxiliary 1000 

Neapolitan 2000 

Artillery  and  drivers         ....  600 

10,600 

To  which  must  be  added  for  the  park  400  artillerymen,  100  dri 
vers,  100  sappers,  and  100  artisans=700.  Grand  total  11,300. 

As  these  regiments  may  be  diminished  at  the  moment  of  em 
barking,  by  sickness  or  otherwise,  to  the  extent  of  400,  there 
would  remain  only  10,900  men. 

With  this  division  400  pioneers'  tools  for  each  division,  and 
1200  for  the  engineers  and  artillery,  must  be  embarked. 

Besides  the  50  cartridges  which  each  man  will  have  in  his 
knapsack,  chests,  containing  100  cartridges  per  man  (each  chest 
of  a  size  which  can  be  landed  easily  by  two  men),  must  be  em 
barked.  They  will  be  landed  with  the  men,  and  contain  a  million 
cartridges.  Another  million  must  be  embarked  in  the  transports. 

Two  pieces  of  cannon  and  a  caisson  will  be  embarked  in  each 


296  ARMY  OF  SICILY.  CHAP.  IX. 

vessel  of  the  squadron.  All  the  other  caissons  and  chests  will  be 
embarked  in  the  transports,  so  as  to  have  a  double  provision  for 
24  pieces  of  field  artillery,  making  two  divisions  of  12  guns  each 
— that  is  to  say,  for  each  division  two  12-pounders,  eight  6  or  4- 
pounders,  and  two  howitzers.  If  3-pounders,  mountain-pieces, 
are  at  hand,  four  of  them  must  be  embarked. 

Two  companies  of  artillery  and  100  drivers  have  been  allotted 
to  each  division ;  they  can  attend  to  600  horses ;  300  horses  should 
be  embarked  if  possible,  and  stalls  should  be  made  to  hold  two 
squadrons  of  chasseurs,  of  300  horses  each. 

80,000  quintals  of  flour,  500,000  rations  of  biscuit,  and 
500,000  rations  of  brandy  must  be  embarked  in  the  squadron. 

Each  division  must  have  its  ambulance,  and  there  must  be 
one  generally  for  the  whole  corps.  From  Naples,  then,  there  will 
embark  for  this  expedition  nearly  12,000  men. 

The  second  part  of  the  expedition  will  be  composed,  like  the 
first,  of  two  divisions,  consisting  each  of  two  brigades,  compris 
ing  three  French  regiments,  one  Swiss,  one  Neapolitan  auxiliary, 
200  Neapolitan  horse,  chasseurs  and  dragoons;  making  from 
7000  to  8000  infantry  and  2000  cavalry.  All  the  gunboats  and 
light  vessels  will  assist  it. 

When  the  expedition  has  left  Italy,  there  will  remain  in  the 
kingdom  of  Naples  40  companies,  being  4  per  regiment ;  if  they 
average  50  men,  that  makes  2000;  three  complete  regiments, 
4500  men ;  the  guard,  3500  men ;  two  Italian  regiments,  200 ; 
the  Neapolitan  troops,  &c.  Altogether  more  than  15,000  men. 

A  few  days  after  the  sailing  of  the  expedition,  6000  grenadiers 
will  enter  Naples,  and  2000  the  Abruzzi ;  as  for  generals  and 
staif  officers,  there  are  always  enough  in  Naples,  as  the  generals 
of  brigade  can  act  as  generals  of  division,  and  colonels  as  gener 
als  of  brigade. 

[356.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  26, 1S03. 

My  Brother, — I  wrote  to  you  yesterday  at  great  length  OD 
my  plans ;  I  presume  that  you  have  already  answered  me  by  send 
ing  me  all  the  necessary  information.  Everything  inclines  me  to 


JAN.  1808.  SICILIAN  EXPEDITION.  297 

think  that  the  attempt  must  be  made  before  the  15th  of  February. 
You  must  obtain  the  means  of  embarking  between  3000  and  4000 
men  in  very  large  vessels ;  they  will  be  able  to  go  wherever  they 
like,  for  with  15,000  men  you  will  not  be  tied  down  to  holding 
a  single  point.  The  great  thing  is  to  take  Scylla.  Your  letter 
of  the  15th  does  not  mention  it :  this  puzzles  me. 

Pray  repeat  to  Groneral  C.  Berthier  that  he  must  put  no 
French  troops  either  in  Cephalonia  or  in  Zante,  and  that  all  his 
French  troops  must  be  assembled  at  Corfu  and  at  Santa  Maura. 
I  am  impatiently  expecting  to  hear  of  the  arrival  of  the  14th,  of 
the  detachments  of  the  6th,  and  of  the  Italian  regiments.  From 
the  moment  that  you  can  reckon  upon  assembling  6000  men  at 
Corfu,  there  will  be  no  danger  of  the  English  landing  there,  since 
they  could  not  do  it  with  even  12,000  men,  a  force  which  is  out 
of  proportion  to  the  resources  of  England.  I  have  written  to 
the  Ottoman  Porte,  in  order  that,  if  the  English  disembark  near 
Corfu  and  besiege  the  fortress,  the  army  of  Dalrnatia  may  be 
able  to  start  from  Cattaro,  to  cross  the  territory  of  Ali  Pacha, 
and  make  its  appearance  before  Corfu.  I  have  there  20,000  men, 
who,  when  they  reached  Butrinto,  would  easily  cross  to  Corfu, 
join  the  garrison,  and  drive  the  besiegers  into  the  sea.  I  expect, 
that,  if  the  14th,  the  remainder  of  the  6th,  and  the  Italians  have 
arrived,  the  English  will  not  be  allowed  to  land ;  and  if  even 
they  effected  a  landing,  the  fortress  would  be  defended  for  more 
than  six  months.  It  is  probable  that  before  the  blockade  had 
been  kept  up  two  months,  the  army  of  Dalmatia  would  have 
reached  Butrinto.  Marmont  has  sent  a  consul  to  Beyrout,  and  I 
have  requested  Ali  Pacha  (and,  indeed,  I  have  made  the  Porte 
order  him)  to  place  Tartars  between  Butrinto  and  Cattaro,  to 
accelerate  the  communication. 

As  Mocenigo  is  at  Naples,  you  may  learn  from  him  the  quan 
tity  of  powder  left  by  the  Russians  at  Corfu ;  it  is  absurd  that  it 
is  not  yet  given  up  to  me.  It  is  of  consequence  that  you  should 
ascertain  the  number  of  the  ships  of  war,  frigates,  &c.,  which 
the  English  have  before  Corfu.  You  should  get  these  reports 
from  Otranto  and  Brindisi.  I  also  wish  you  to  learn  how  many 
men-of-war  can  find  shelter  in  Brindisi,  and  if  the  batteries  pro- 

VOL.  I.— 13* 


298  GOVERNMENT  OF  IONIAN  ISLANDS.  CHAP.  IX 

tecting  the  harbour  are  in  a  good  state.     I  am  longing  to  hear 
that  Scylla  is  taken. 


[357.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  26, 1803. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  15th  of 
January.  Your  plan  for  an  order  appears  to  me  to  be  the  best, 
because  it  has  some  meaning.*  I  shall  give  the  order  of  the 
Iron  Crown  to  Marquis  G-allo,  and  the  Eagle  to  Prince  Colonna, 
Commandant  of  the  National  Guard  of  Naples,  to  Prince  Bisig- 
nano,  and  to  Duke"  Cassano.  I  accept  your  order  with  pleasure. 

I  suppose  that  your  ambassadors  for  Paris  and  St.  Petersburg 
have  already  started.  I  told  you  that  the  news  was  very  well 
received  in  Russia.  ,  Your  letter  of  the  15th  informs  me  that 
500  men  have  sailed  for  Corfu  with  a  favourable  wind ;  I  am 
anxious  to  hear  of  their  arrival. 


[358.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  2S,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  18th,  with 
the  report  of  General  Donzelot.  It  proves  to  me  the  incapacity 
of  Berthier,  who  ought  on  his  arrival  to  have  sent  you  a  similar 
report.  I  wish  you,  therefore,  to  send  one  of  your  aides-de-camp 
to  Corfu  with  an  order  to  General  Donzelot  to  undertake  the 
government  of  the  Ionian  Islands.  You  will  say  that  you  have 
received  the  decree  appointing  him  ;  and  you  will  desire  General 
Berthier  to  remain  a  fortnight  with  General  Donzelot,  after  which 
he  will  repair  by  land  to  C attar o,  visit  that  place,  inspect  the 
roads,  survey  the  whole  of  Dalmatia,  and  thence  join  me  in  Paris. 
Your  aide-de-camp  must  be  discreet ;  you  will  tell  him  what  is  in 
his  despatches,  in  order  that  he  may  not  deliver  them  unless 
General  Donzelot  is  at  Corfu ;  if  he  should  be  at  Santa  Maura, 
he  must  be  sent  for  to  Corfu ;  and  if  there  should  be  any  obstacle 
to  his  quitting  Santa  Maura,  General  Berthier  ought  not  to  sus- 

*  What  this  plan  was  does  not  clearly  appear. — TB. 


FEB.  1808.  SUPPLIES  FOE  COEPU.  299 

pect  the  object  of  your  aide-de-camp's  mission,  as  it  would  annoy 
him.  Repeat  the  order  to  the  Governor-General  to  withdraw  the 
French  troops  from  Zante  and  Cephalonia,  and  to  place  them  only 
at  Santa  Maura  and  Corfu.  No  French  must  be  left  even  at 
Parga.  The  Governor  will  leave  at  Zante  and  Cephalonia  only 
two  French  officers,  with  25  or  30  French ;  the  same  at  Parga. 
The  6th,  the  14th,  and  the  Italians  should  be  all  assembled  at 
Corfu  and  Sta.  Maura.  Send  off  immediately  four  French  engi 
neer  and  two  artillery  officers  from  Naples  to  Corfu.  I  see  that, 
by  way  of  provisions,  all  that  they  have  at  Corfu  are  14,000 
quintals  of  bad  flour;  but  General  Donzelot  makes  some  omis 
sions,  for  I  am  assured  that  there  are  also  several  thousand 
quintals  of  corn.  I  am  impatient  to  hear  if  your  convoy  of  the 
8th  has  arrived ;  it  seems  to  me  that  there  was  100,000  Ibs. 
weight  of  powder  in  it.  If  the  Russians  had  magazines  there, 
why  not  have  taken  them  §  It  will  not  be  difficult  for  you  to 
embark  500  or  600  tools,  they  take  little  room.  One  of  the 
brigadier-generals  at  Corfu  will  take  the  command  of  Sta.  Maura. 
Send  10  more  artillery  officers  to  Corfu.  As  to  money,  I  have 
ordered  250,000  francs  to  be  sent  thither  every  month.  Since  I 
gave  this  order  three  months  ago,  from  700,000  to  800,000  francs 
must  have  arrived  there ;  and  that  sum  was  sufficient  to  finish  the 
works  and  pay  the  troops.  The  aide-de-camp  whom  you  send 
must  bring  back  a  report  of  the  state  of  Corfu  on  the  1st  of  Feb 
ruary,  magazine  by  magazine,  and  bastion  by  bastion.  Every 
thing  inclines  me  to  think  that  Corfu  will  be  attacked  in  March 
or  April.  I  have  desired  some  corvettes  and  brigs  to  be  sent 
from  Ancona  and  Venice;  I  have  not  heard  of  their  arrival. 


[  359.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Jan.  30, 1808. 

My  Brother, — One  of  my  squadrons  will  shortly  appear  be 
fore  Corfu ;  it  will  be  strong  enough  to  drive  away  the  enemy's 
cruisers,  and  to  be  mistress  of  the  sea  for  several  days.  Make 
such  dispositions  that  the  remainder  of  the  14th  light  infantry,  of 
the  26th  of  the  line,  and  of  the  Italian  depots,  all  the  powder  and 
ammunition,  the  artillery  and  engineer  officers,  and  in  fact  all  that 


300  DEFENCE  OF  CORFU.  CHAP.  IX. 

yon  intend  for  Corfu,  may  be  ready  at  Brindisi  and  Otranto,  in 
order  to  take  advantage  of  my  squadron  and  cross.  My  wish  is 
that  there  should  be  at  Corfu  4000  French  and  Italians,  1000 
natives  and  Albanians ;  so  that  in  the  face  of  these  5000  men  the 
enemy  will  not  be  able  to  land  with  less  than  12,000 ;  that  the 
fortresses  may  be  victualled  so  as  to  hold  out  during  more  than 
six  months  of  open  trenches,  to  give  me  time  to  relieve  thorn.  As 
the  Porte  has  permitted  me  to  pass  through  Albania,  20,000  men 
might,  on  a  landing  being  effected,  reach  Butrinto  in  a  week.  I 
wish  you  to  assemble  at  Brindisi  a  battalion  of  500  or  600  Nea 
politans  ;  the  squadron  will  protect  their  passage.  Send  also  the 
requisite  number  of  artificers,  the  detachment  of  artillery,  and, 
above  all,  powder  and  provisions. 


[360.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  7, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  wrote  to  you  on  the  24th  of  January  on  the 
Sicilian  expedition,  and  I  conclude  that  you  have  made  the  neces 
sary  dispositions.  I  received  this  evening  the  following  intelli 
gence  : — Admiral  Ganteaume  writes  to  me,  dating  the  23d  of 
February,  from  the  roadstead  of  Toulon,  that  my  Rochefort 
squadron  was  signalled  off  Villefranche  on  the  3d,  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  morning ;  that  he  was  proceeding  to  join  it ;  and  that  he 
should  probably  proceed  to  Corfu  to  drive  off  the  English 
cruisers,  to  protect  the  passage  from  Brindisi  and  Otranto  to 
Corfu,  and  to  try  to  take  some  of  the  enemy's  ships.  You  feel 
the  importance  of  profound  secrecy,  and  yet  of  sending  without 
delay  two  safe  and  intelligent  officers,  one  to  Otranto  and  Brin 
disi,  and  the  other  to  Taranto.  The  one  whom  you  send  to 
Otranto  ought  to  manage  so  that  all  the  convoys  in  those  ports 
may  be  ready  to  sail,  in  order  to  thoroughly  victual  Corfu.  Corfu 
is  of  such  importance  to  me,  that  its  loss  would  be  a  fatal  blow  to 
my  plans ;  the  Adriatic  would  be  closed,  and  your  kingdom  would 
have  on  its  left  side  a  port  in  which  the  enemy  would  recruit 
Albanians  and  other  troops  to  attack  you.  In  my  hands  it  will 
have  great  influence  on  Albania.  I  depend,  therefore,  on  your 


FEB.  1808.  INSTRUCTIONS  FOE  SICILY.  3QJ 

zeal  that  nothing  will  be  forgotten,  and  that  this  solitary  oppor 
tunity  of  securing  Corfu  against  all  danger  will  be  seized.  All 
the  6th  of  the  line,  the  14th  light  infantry,  the  5th  Italian  regi 
ment  of  the  line,  a  Neapolitan  battalion,  and  another  Italian  bat 
talion,  ought  to  be  sent  to  reinforce  the  garrison  of  Corfu.  I  have 
no  return  of  the  troops  at  Brindisi  and  Otranto.  I  cannot  esti 
mate,  therefore,  the  strength  of  the  garrison  when  the  reinforce 
ments  have  arrived.  But  I  wish  you,  without  delay,  to  embark 
another  French  battalion,  the  nearest  within  reach,  in  order  that 
there  may  be  6000  men,  French,  Italians,  or  Neapolitans,  in  the 
island  of  Corfu  alone,  without  including  the  Albanians  and 
lonians,  who  would  increase  the  number  up  to  7500.  The  Eng 
lish  will  then  not  be  able  to  land,  and  I  shall  be  master  of  the 
island  for  ever.  Send  over  all  the  powder,  tools,  and  gun-car 
riages  at  your  disposal,  and  all  the  money  that  you  have  in  your 
treasury  at  Naples,  at  the  rate  of  250,000  francs  per  month.  Pay 
these  250,000  francs  in  advance  for  February  and  March.  You 
will  therefore  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  send  to  them 
at  least  1,000,000  francs.  Load  the  vessel  with  corn,  flour,  and 
other  things.  I  will  repay  all  the  extra  money  which  you  send 
thither.  Send  over  also  some  engineer  and  artillery  officers. 
When  you  have  thus  made  Corfu  safe,  you  will  send  some  discreet 
person  to  Admiral  Ganteaume,  to  let  him  know  whether  you  wish 
him  to  present  himself  before  Reggio.  Desire  him  to  appear  be 
fore  Catania  and  Reggio,  to  protect  the  landing  of  7000  or  8000 
men,  who  are  to  occupy  Faro,  place  a  battery  there,  and  take 
possession  of  the  suburbs  of  Messina.  As  soon  as  this  is  done, 
Sicily  is  conquered,  as  you  would  then  direct  all  your  troops  upon 
Reggio,  so  as  to  increase  the  number  of  the  expedition  which  is 
to  start  from  thence  to  15,000.  This  plan  supposes  that  you  are 
master  of  Scylla,  which  is  the  most  important  post  in  the  world. 
If  Scylla  is  not  yours,  all  this  becomes  impossible,  and  you  will 
have  lost  Sicily  through  your  own  fault.* 

I  send  you  a  memorandum  on  the  state  of  my  fleet  and  of  the 
means  of  transport  which  it  affords.     You  of  course  have  done 

*  Scylla  was  not  then  in  Joseph's  power. — TK. 


3Q2  SICILIAN  EXPEDITION.  CHAP.  IX. 

the  same,  and  your  letter,  which  I  expect  to-morrow,  will  let  me 
know  on  what  I  can  depend.  You  must  not,  in  any  way,  discon 
tinue  your  preparations  for  embarkation  from  Naples,  for  it  is 
possible  that  Admiral  Ganteauine  may  sail  towards  Naples,  if  his 
movements  in  other  directions  are  impeded,  and  that  he  may 
proceed  to  Cape  Mortadella,  in  order  to  take  possession  of  Faro. 
Besides,  I  am  expecting  another  squadron  in  the  Mediterranean, 
and  it  is  as  well  that  your  means  of  transport  should  be  ready  in 
any  case.  That  cursed  rock  Scylla  interferes  with  all  my  pro 
jects,  and  yet  I  had  impressed  upon  you  that  every  thing  depended 
upon  it.  It  is  possible  that  my  squadron  may  be  forced  to  take 
refuge  in  the  harbor  of  Taranto.  Place  some  guns  on  the  island, 
and  let  all  be  ready  to  protect  my  ships. 

To  sum  up,  on  the  3d  of  February,  at  3  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  Admiral  Granteaume  had  not  left  Toulon,  and  had  not  de 
cided  whether  he  should  direct  his  course  on  Corfu  or  on  Naples. 
If  he  were  detained  by  wind  or  weather,  so  that  there  were  time 
for  my  orders  to  reach  him,  and  I  had  received  your  answer  to  my 
letter  of  the  24th  of  January,*  I  should  certainly  desire  him  to 
sail  for  Naples.  But  is  Scylla  taken  ?  It  is  probable  that  Ad 
miral  Granteaume  has  sailed  for  Corfu,  that  he  will  have  reached 
it,  or  nearly  so,  when  you  receive  this  letter;  in  this  case  you 
should  complete  the  garrison  of  Corfu  to  6000  men,  French  and 
Italians,  and  supply  it  amply  with  provisions.  You  should  urge 
on  the  siege  of  Scylla,  and  desire  Admiral  Granteaume,  if  you 
think  it  advisable,  to  appear  before  Catania  and  Reggio,  and  to 
land  7000  or  8000  men  to  occupy  Faro,  and  then  you  should 
direct  all  your  force  upon  that  point.  In  fact,  you  must  go  on 
with  your  naval  preparations  at  Naples,  in  order  to  land  as  many 
men  as  you  possibly  can  in  Sicily.  In  the  present  state  of  Europe 
you  cannot  be  in  want  of  troops,  and  I  will  send  you  as  many  as 

*  It  is  remarkable  that  in  his  letter  of  the  24th  January,  Napoleon  informs 
Joseph^  as  a  matter  perfectly  arranged,  that  the  fleet  was  to  sail  from  Toulon 
for  Naples,  and  would  be  there  between  the  10th  and  loth  of  February,  and 
desires  Joseph  to  have  9000  men  ready  to  embark  in  it  for  Sicily.  It  now 
appears  that  no  orders  to  this  effect  had  been  sent  to  Admiral  Ganteaume,  and 
that,  instead  of  Naples,  his  destination  was  Corfu. — TR. 


FEB.  1808.  SICILIAN  EXPEDITION.  3Q3 

you  like.  When  you  hear  that  Granteaume  has  reached  Corfu, 
hurry  on  to  Reggio  the  troops  which  you  have  between  Naples 
and  that  place,  as  the  whole  movement  is  to  be  made  from  Reggio, 
and  at  the  same  time  continue  your  naval  preparations  at  Naples. 
Whilst  waiting  for  news  of  Admiral  Granteaume,  you  should 
endeavour  to  be  always  ready  at  Naples  to  embark  your  troops  in 
his  ships,  in  order  to  sail  straight  by  Mortadella,  and  to  seize 
Faro.  You  must,  however,  keep  all  this  perfectly  secret,  for  intel 
ligence  of  your  movements  may  be  carried  quickly  into  Sicily,  and 
an  indiscretion  would  expose  you  to  the  greatest  misfortunes. 
Salicetti,  one  naval  officer,  and  yourself,  ought  alone  to  be  in  the 
secret ;  even  the  officer  whom  you  send  to  Otranto  and  Brindisi 
ought  to  know  nothing  about  it :  you  will  give  him  a  sealed  letter, 
which  he  is  not  to  open,  unless  he  hears  something  extraordinary 
at  Otranto.  I  need  not  recommend  you  to  keep  the  batteries  at 
Taranto  and  Baia  in  good  order,  that  they  may  protect  my  squad 
rons.  Of  course  I  shall  write  to  you  every  day. 

When  you  know  that  Ganteaume  has  arrived  before  Corfu, 
dispatch  a  courier  to  the  Viceroy  and  to  General  Lemarrois,  to 
hasten  the  departure  from  Venice  and  Ancona  of  all  that  is  in 
tended  for  Corfu. 


[361.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  8, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  wrote  to  you  yesterday :  it  is  now  noon,  and 
I  have  not  yet  received  the  courier  whom  I  expect  from  Toulon 
to-day  to  tell  me  what  my  squadron  did  on  the  4th.  Pray  send 
plenty  of  money  to  Corfu.  The  Porte  must  have  ordered  Bu- 
trinto  to  be  given  up  to  me.  As  soon  as  this  important  port  is  in 
my  power,  2000  Albanians  are  to  be  assembled  there. 

You  should  consider  Corfu  as  of  greater  consequence  than 
Sicily.  The  fate  of  Sicily  is  certain,  that  of  Corfu  is  yet  unde 
cided.  In  the  last  negotiations  England  did  not  object  to  giving 
me  Sicily.  Take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  send  over 
rather  1000  men  too  many  than  1000  men  too  few,  and  rather  to 
add  another  company  of  artillery  than  to  take  one  away.  Re- 


304  IMPOETANCE  OF  CORFU.  CHAP.  IX 

member  well  what  I  tell  you.  In  the  present  state  of  Europe, 
the  greatest  possible  misfortune  would  be  the  loss  of  Corfu.  I 
depend  upon  your  dexterity  to  guarantee  to  me  the  possession  of 
this  important  post  for  ever.  Let  everything  be  referred  to  you. 
Increase  rather  than  diminish  the  number  of  staff,  artillery,  and 
engineer  officers,  whom  you  send  thither.  Desire  the  governor  to 
levy  more  Albanians,  and  to  carry  the  number  up  to  6000  instead 
of  3000.  I  should  like  to  have  from  2000  to  3000  Albanians  in 
each  of  the  stations  of  Parga,  Santa  Maura,  and  Butrinto,  under 
the  orders  of  a  French  general. 

It  is  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon ;  I  have  just  received  your 
letter  of  the  28th  of  January.  How  is  it  that  your  letters  take 
eleven  days  on  the  road  from  Naples  ?  They  ought  to  arrive  in 
eight  days.  My  express  service  is  getting  out  of  order ;  I  have 
complained  to  Lavalette.  Endeavour  on  your  side  to  find  out 
the  cause. 


[362.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Feb.  9,  6  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

No  courier  has  arrived  either  yesterday  or  to-day  from  Tou 
lon  ;  I  have  therefore  no  news ;  I  can  only  refer  to  my  letter  of 
the  7th.  Letters  from  Rome  say  that  Salicetti's  house  has  been 
undermined,  that  his  children  are  killed,  and  he  himself  slightly 
hurt.  How  horrible  !  I  am  impatiently  waiting  for  details. 

I  shot  to-day  at  Mortefontaine  from  1  o'clock  till  4 ;  I  killed 
twenty  hares.  The  house  looked  to  me  even  more  frightful  and 
uninhabitable  than  it  did  four  years  ago. 


[  363.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  10,  1808. 

My  Brother, — You  will  find  annexed  a  memorandum  of  what 
has  been  sent  from  Venice  to  Corfu.  You  will  see  that  it  has 
been  considerable  both  as  regards  ammunition  and  provisions. 
Let  me  know  what  has  been  received. 


Fnu.1808.  THE  EOCIIEFORT  SQUADKON.  305 

[364.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  11, 1808. 

My  Brother, — Admiral  Ganteaume  writes  to  me,  dated  the 
4th  of  February,  that  he  is  ready  to  set  sail ;  that  he  purposes  to 
do  so  on  the  8th ;  that  Admiral  Allemand,  in  command  of  the 
squadron  from  Rochefort,  anchored  in  the  bay  of  Juan  on  the 
3rd ;  and  that  he  immediately  ordered  it  to  join  him.  Admiral 
Allemand  has  been  lucky :  he  passed  the  strait*  in  the  night  of 
the  26th  of  January,  without  being  seen  by  the  English.  On  his 
way  he  took  several  prizes,  which  he  burnt.  I  am  impatiently 
expecting  an  answer  to  my  letter  of  the  24th  of  January ;  this  is 
the  eighteenth  day  since  it  was  sent;  I  hope  to  receive  your 
answer  this  evening.  If  Ganteaume  goes  first  to  Corfu,  I  am  very 
anxious  that  you  should  try  to  execute  the  Sicilian  expedition. 
I  am  longing  to  hear  that  Scylla  is  taken.  The  terrible  misfor 
tune  which  has  happened  to  Salicetti  f  seems  to  me  to  have  been 
the  result  of  over-indulgence.  When  were  traitors  ever  before 
allowed  to  live,  and  to  live  free,  in  a  capital — wretches  who  had 
plotted  against  the  state  ?  Their  lives  ought  not  to  be  spared, 
but  if  that  is  done,  at  least  you  should  send  them  sixty  leagues 
from  the  capital,  or  shut  them  up  in  a  fortress :  any  other  conduct 
is  madness. 

[  365.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  11,  1808. 

My  Brother, — The  kingdom  of  Naples  is  very  ill  adminis 
tered  ;  my  troops  are  not  paid,  and  the  arrears  increase  every 
day.  Roederer  makes  fine  plans,  ruins  the  country,  and  puts  no 
money  into  your  treasury :  this  is  the  opinion  of  all  the  French 
who  come  from  Naples.  Rrederer  is  honest  and  has  good  inten 
tions,  but  he  has  no  experience.  The  great  art  is  to  do  in  every 
year  no  more  than  is  requisite,  and  Ro3derer  does  in  one  year 

*  Of  Gibraltar. 

t  His  house  was  blown  up,  and  he  and  his  daughter  injured,  by  a  person 
whose  sons  had  suffered  for  having  taken  part  in  a  conspiracy.— TR. 


THE  TOULON  SQUADRON.  CHAP.  IX. 

what  ought  to  be  done  in  ten.  .  This  is  sufficient  in  itself  to  ruin 
you  and  to  displease  your  people. 


[366.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  12, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  3rd  of 
February.  I  see  with  great  regret  that  Scylla  is  not  yet  in  your 
power.  I  am  waiting  anxiously  for  the  letter  which  you  promise 
me  for  to-morrow.  You  might  as  well  have  let  me  know  to-day 
how  many  vessels  you  have,  for  I  have  not  heard  of  the  departure 
of  my  squadron,  and  I  might  have  ordered  it  in  the  first  place  to 
proceed  to  Baia.  By  this  time,  however,  you  must  know  what 
Admiral  Ganteaume  has  done.  If  you  are  ready  to  undertake 
the  expedition  from  Reggio,  my  Corfu  squadron  may  go  thither 
and  take  its  share  in  the  operation,  but  the  possession  of  Scylla 
is  very  important.  A  squadron  could  scarcely  venture  to  pass 
through  the  strait  if  Scylla  were  armed  with  a  good  battery. 
Captain  de  Simone  has  not  yet  arrived.  I  conclude  that  you 
have  told  nothing  to  him  or  to  any  other  person. 


[  367  ]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  15,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  the  report  of  an  American  captain 
who  left  Palermo  on  the  6th  of  January.  From  this  report  it 
appears  that  the  English  have  no  troops  in  Sicily.  Under  such 
circumstances  the  expedition  will  succeed  easily.  In  your  recent 
letters  you  do  not  mention  this  important  subject. 


£  368.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  15, 1808. 

My  Brother, — My  squadron  left  Toulon  on  the  10th  of 
February  at  10  o'clock  in  the  morning,  under  the  command  of 
Admiral  Ganteaume.  Its  strength  consists  of  2  three-deckers,  8 
ships  of  80  and  74  guns,  several  frigates  and  brigs,  and  of  3  large 
ships  en  flute  laden  with  artillery  and  ammunition  for  Corfu. 


FEB.  1808.  CAPITULATION  OF  KEGGIO.  307 

At  6  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  10th  the  squadron  was  out  of 
sight,  sailing  with  a  fair  wind,  which  probably  carried  it  on  be 
yond  Cape  Bon.  I  wrote  to  you  on  the  7th  of  February,  to-day 
is  the  15th ;  it  is  probable  that  whilst  I  am  writing  you  will  re 
ceive  that  letter.  I  told  you  that  Admiral  Ganteaume  would 
certainly  go  to  Corfu,  and  this  is  in  fact  what  he  has  done.  I 
refer  you  to  the  dispositions  contained  in  my  letter  of  the  7th  for 
conveying  to  Corfu  all  that  is  provided  in  Brindisi  and 
Otranto.  Send  thither  also  all  the  money  that  you  can ;  spare 
nothing,  and  let  there  be  6000  men,  French,  Italians,  and  Neapo 
litans,  in  the  island  of  Corfu  alone.  I  wrote  to  you  in  the  same 
letter  on  the  Sicilian  expedition.  It  is  but  a  step  from  Reggio 
to  Corfu ;  and  if  the  English,  as  I  am  assured  is  the  case,  have 
not  more  than  4000  or  5000  men  in  Sicily,  the  expedition  from 
Reggio  to  seize  Faro  will  be  made  easily,  and  you  become  master 
of  Sicily.  The  minister  for  maritime  affairs  must  have  written 
to  you  subsequently,  and  indeed  have  sent  you  an  officer.  I  am 
waiting  with  impatience  for  your  news,  and  I  reckon  upon  your 
activity  in  this  important  conjuncture.  I  count  upon  the  success 
of  the  expedition  from  Reggio,  but  nevertheless  prepare  your  re 
sources  at  Naples ;  I  am  expecting  other  squadrons. 


[  369.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  17, 1808. 

My  Brother, — Like  you,  I  am  indignant  at  the  capitulation 
of  General  Reynier.*  It  was  for  acting  in  the  same  way  that 
I  set  aside  Marshal  Brune.  I  am  equally  dissatisfied  with  the 
clauses  of  the  capitulation.  Why  were  the  Sicilians  permitted 
to  return  to  Sicily  ?  why  these  communications  and  parleys  ? 
You  ought  not  to  allow  them ;  but  just  now,  when  my  squadrons 
are  in  motion,  and  the  invasion  of  Sicily  may  take  place  from  day 
to  day,  I  think  that  you  had  better  delay  taking  any  steps.  As 

*  General  Reynier  had  admitted  the  garrison  of  Reggio  to  capitulate,  omit 
ting  in  the  capitulation  all  allusion  to  King  Joseph.  Joseph  was  furious  ;  said 
that  he  had  rather  the  castle  had  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  and  pro 
posed  the  immediate  recall  of  Reynier. — TB. 


308  CAPITULATION  OF  EEGGIO.  CHAP.  IX. 

to  Cavaignac,  *  I  cannot  imagine  it  to  have  been  any  thing  but  an 
oversight — it  would  have  been  too  stupid. 

I  have  informed  you  that  my  squadron  sailed  on  the  10th  of 
February ;  it  is  not  improbable  that  on  the  20th  it  may  arrive 
,  at  Corfu,  and  that  on  the  25th  or  30th  Admiral  Ganteaume  may 
appear  before  Reggio,  land  between  Catania  and  Messina,  seize 
Messina  and  even  Catania,  blockade  the  forts,  and  capture  Faro, 
This  operation  might  be  facilitated  by  his  threatening  Syracuse, 
which  would  deceive  the  English.  As  soon  as  you  know  his 
plans  you  will  make  General  Salligny  support  Reynier,  who  will 
thus  have  12,000  men,  and  you  should  then  immediately  put 
into  motion  another  body  of  between  4000  and  5000  to  occupy 
Reggio  and  Scylla.  The  English  prisoners  taken  at  Reggio 
ought  to  give  you  information  as  to  the  troops  in  Sicily,  particu 
larly  the  English.  You  say  nothing  about  them  in  your  letter. 
Are  there  many  at  Messina  ?  All  accounts  say  that  the  storms 
which  have  prevailed  in  your  seas  since  the  beginning  of  the 
month  have  dispersed  the  English  expedition,  and  there  is 
nothing  which  inclines  me  to  think  that  the  troops  in  Sicily 
have  been  reinforced.  I  know  even  that  there  have  been  com 
plaints  in  London  of  the  small  number  of  troops  in  that  important 
island. 

[  370.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  Feb.  26,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  17th.  I  do 
not  know  why  you  suffer  General  Reynier  to  have  all  these  par 
leys  with  the  English;  nothing  can  be  more  contrary  to  my 
wishes  and  to  my  orders.  Why  does  he  take  upon  himself  to 
send  back  prisoners  ? — all  that  is  absurd. f  In  one  of  your  re 
cent  letters  I  think  that  I  perceived  that  you  were  losing  confi 
dence  in  Salicetti.  I  can  imagine  no  greater  misfortune  for  you 
than  to  alienate  so  valuable  a  man.  Rcederer  belongs  to  the 

*  He  had  omitted  on  some  occasion  to  use  his  title  of  Equerry  to  King 
Joseph. — TR. 

t  Reynier  had  made  some  exchanges  of  prisoners  with  the  English  army 
in  Sicily.— TR. 


MAECH,  1808.  CAPTOJKE  OF  SCYLLA.  gQ9 

men  who  always  destroy  those  to  whom  they  are  attached, — 
whether  from  want  of  tact  or  of  good  fortune  it  does  not  signify 
Salicetti  is  popular  with  the  French  at  Naples,  and  you  have  not 
one  friend  who  does  not  hate  Roederer.  He  is  at  Naples,  as  in 
Paris,  esteemed  by  neither  party — a  man  without  judgment  or 
tact,  in  whom  I  nevertheless  appreciate  several  good  qualities, 
but  as  a  statesman  I  set  no  value  on  him. 


[371.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  2, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  22nd  of 
February.*  I  do  not  wish  my  ships  to  be  scattered;  two  ships 
of  the  line  in  the  harbour  of  Naples,  unsupported,  would  be  of 
no  use  to  you.  I  choose  to  have  all  my  ships  kept  together. 
It  cannot,  I  think  be  long  before  you  have  news  of  Admiral 
Ganteaume. 


[  372.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  5, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  desired  500,000  francs  to  be  sent  to 
you  from  Florence  and  the  same  sum  from  Milan.  It  will  go 
by  post,  and  will  reach  you,  I  hope,  in  a  few  days  after  this 
letter.  I  was  delighted  to  hear  of  the  capture  of  Scylla.  I 
approve  of  your  establishing  a  battery  at  the  Point,  but  the 
principal  battery  ought  to  be  at  Scylla ;  the  height  is  not  an 
objection,  it  will  have  a  wider  range  j  mortars  must  be  placed 
there.  By  this  time  Admiral  Ganteaume  must  have  arrived  at 
Corfu;  he  has  on  board  his  ships  en  flute,  mortars,  shot,  80 
gun-carriages,  10,000  Ibs.  weight  of  powder,  and  5000  quintals 
of  flour ;  he  was  to  leave  all  this  at  Corfu.  I  augur  well  of  the 
expedition,  and  if,  as  they  say,  there  are  only  6000  English 
in  Sicily,  there  will  not  be  more  than  4000  under  arms; 
they  will  probably  shut  themselves  up  in  Syracuse.  A  Spanish 

*  In  that  letter  Joseph  asked  to  he  allowed  to  keep  in  the  Bay  of  Naples 
two  of  the  French  ships  of  the  line  to  protect  his  commerce,  which  was  inter 
cepted  hy  a  couple  of  English  frigates. — TK. 


310  SICILY.— SPAIN.  CHAP.  IX. 

squadron  of  6  ships  left  Carthagena  on  the  12th  of  February 
for  Toulon,  where  I  am  waiting  for  it.  The  squadron  from 
Lorient  has  not  been  able  to  get  under  sail,  and  the  weather 
is  becoming  so  fine  that  I  doubt  whether  it  will  be  able  to 
pass  out. 

I  need  not  impress  upon  you  the  importance  of  the  battery 
of  Scylla;  it  is  protected  by  the  fort.  Listen  to  no  remon 
strance.  Appoint  a  good  colonel  to  command  Scylla;  give 
him  600  French  troops,  some  provisions,  a  commissariat  officer, 
a  chef  de  bataillon  of  artillery,  and  two  second  captains,  and  let 
him  be  quite  independent,  and  leave  some  money  with  him; 
he  might  hold  out  for  twenty  days,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but 
that  in  fifteen  you  could  come  to  his  assistance.  As  soon  as 
your  troops  have  embarked  for  Sicily,  a  large  proportion  of  the 
troops  which  I  have  at  Rome  will  march  towards  Naples :  they 
are  all  companies  of  grenadiers  and  light  infantry,  and  are  the 
finest  troops  in  the  world.  It  is  possible  that  in  the  course  of 
a  week  I  may  start  for  Spain ;  the  Grand  Duke  of  Berg  *  set 
oft7  a  fortnight  ago.  I  have  80,000  men  at  a  distance  of  30 
leagues  from  Madrid;  Junot  holds  Lisbon  and  Portugal  with 
30,000,  and  yet  I  have  not  brought  home  one  man  belonging 
to  the  Grand  Army.  I  have  nearly  300,000  men  in  Poland 
and  on  the  Oder.  We  are  beginning  to  raise  the  conscription 
for  this  year,  and  in  the  course  of  the  next  three  months  I  shall 
have  80,000  men  to  reinforce  my  regiments.  Think  what  an 
expense  all  this  must  be  to  me.  Your  Neapolitan  regiment 
forms  part  of  a  division  of  10,000  men  under  the  command  of 
General  Duhesme,  and  has  been  for  the  last  fortnight  at  Barce 
lona,  where  it  does  very  well.  You  are  aware  that  it  will  re 
quire  recruits.  Prepare  therefore  a  provisional  battalion  of 
1000  men  and  send  it  to  Turin ;  it  will  keep  up  the  numbers  of 
your  regiment. 

*  Murat.— TR. 


MABCH,  1808.  CONDUCT  OF  ADMIKAL  COSMAO.  3H 

[373.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  12, 1808. 

My  Brother, — Rear-Admiral  Cosmao's  conduct  is  absurd.* 
I  cannot  help  deploring  the  imbecility  of  my  sailors.  The 
instructions  given  to  him  by  Admiral  Ganteaume  were  to 
raise  the  blockade  of  Corfu.  When  Admiral  Ganteaume  or 
dered  him  to  repair  to  Taranto,  it  was  on  the  supposition  that 
he  would  be  inferior  to  the  enemy,  but,  being  superior,  common 
sense  ought  immediately  to  have  suggested  to  him  to  go  to. 
Corfu. 

I  do  not  approve  of  your  retaining  my  ships  at  Baia  or  Naples; 
the  expedition  being  at  an  end,  they  should  re-enter  my  ports. 
Your  orders  to  Cosmao  were  not  sufficiently  pressing ;  he  ought  to 
have  been  ordered  to  set  sail  an  hour  after  his  arrival,  especially 
as  at  Corfu  he  was  safe ;  he  should  also  have  been  told  to  escort 
all  the  convoys  from  Brindisi  and  Otranto,  and  to  raise  the 
blockade  of  Corfu;  and  if  he  received  no  orders  from  the 
Admiral,  to  take  a  cruise  and  return  to  Toulon.  It  is  a  great 
misfortune  that,  when  everything  else  is  favourable,  the  stu 
pidity  of  a  naval  officer  prevents  his  using  our  good  fortune. 
I  believe  that,  if  a  galleon  carrying  30  million  of  piastres  were 
to  sail  into  the  midst  of  the  squadron,  they  would  not  have  the 
sense  to  take  it. 

I  suppose  that  Ganteaume  has  been  at  Corfu  ever  since  the 
24th  of  February.  I  cannot  understand  his  long  delay.  You 
would  certainly  have  given  to  the  fleets  another  chance  of  joining, 
if  you  had  desired  Cosmao  to  go  straight  to  Corfu. 

*  Ganteaume's  fleet,  when  it  left  Toulon,  consisted  of  ten  ships  of  the  line, 
two  frigates,  two  corvettes,  and  three  ships  en  flute.  On  the  first  night  a  gale 
of  wind  separated  Admiral  Cosmao  with  four  ships  of  the  line  and  two  smaller 
vessels  from  the  rest  of  the  fleet,  and  he  took  refuge  from  weather  and  the 
enemy  in  the  port  of  Taranto.  Joseph  advised  him  to  send  his  storeships  to 
Corfu,  but  left  him  to  his  own  discretion  as  to  his  ships-of-war. — TR. 


312  CONDUCT  OF  ADMIRAL  COSMAO.  CHAP.  IX. 

[374.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  16, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  7th.  Rear- 
Admiral  Cosmao's  letter  is  inconceivable.*  A  mistake  is  always 
possible,  but  not  such  a  one  as  this.  Ganteaume  tells  him, 
in  his  instructions,  that  his  chief  object  is  to  raise  the  blockade 
of  Corfu ;  that  he  is  not  to  approach  it  except  in  force,  and,  if 
the  enemy  be  superior,  to  take  refuge  in  Taranto.  How  is  it 
that  Cosmao,  with  a  superior  force,  does  not  enter  Corfu  ?  I 
never  knew  such  conduct.  I  told  you  that  your  first  letter 
was  worthless;  your  second  is  no  better;  my  fine  flutes  will 
be  taken.  You  should  have  held  a  council :  there  was  no 
objection  to  Cosmao's  entering  Corfu.  Your  ships  had  nothing 
to  fear.  I  do  not  know  what  has  become  of  Ganteaume.  Here 
is  an  expedition  which  has  failed  through  the  utmost  possible 
stupidity.  Cosmao  seems  not  to  be  aware  that  the  number  of 
ships  at  Corfu  is  known  at  Otranto.  These  men  do  not  under 
stand  French.  Admiral  Ganteaume's  instructions  might  have 
been  clearer,  but  they  were  enough  for  any  man  of  ordinary 
sense;  no  instructions  can  provide  for  every  contingency.  I 
hope  that  Ganteaume  is  at  Corfu. 


[  375.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  19, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  10th  of 
March.  Admiral  Ganteaume  was,  as  I  thought,  at  Corfu.  If 
Rear-Admiral  Cosmao  had  been  more  intelligent,  he  would  have 
spared  the  Admiral  much  anxiety,  and  have  avoided  wasting 
eight  days. 

[  376.]  NAPOLKON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  March  25, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  llth.  I 
cannot  imagine  how  you  could  have  refused  to  receive  the  Car- 

*  In  his  letter  to  Joseph,  Cosmao  said  that  his  instructions  prohibited  his 
approaching  Corfu. — TR. 


MARCH,  1808.  DEFENCES  OF  SCYLLA.  3  [3 

dinals,  and  thus  have  appeared  to  act  against  my  wishes.*  I  see 
no  objection  to  your  sending  Cardinal  lluffo  of  Scylla  and  the 
Archbishop  of  Naples  to  Bologna ;  the  other  Cardinal  Ruffo,  the 
former  commander  of  the  Calabrians,  may  be  sent  to  Paris,  the 
rest,  whom  you  do  not  want,  to  Bologna.  But  you  must  first 
send  some  one  to  Gaeta  to  receive  their  oaths,  and  afterwards  to 
provide  for  their  removal  to  Upper  Italy. 

I  am  surprised  that  the  priests  in  Naples  venture  to  stir.f 


[377.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  March  29,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  20th  of 
JUarch  with  the  despatches  of  the  15th  from  Corfu.  It  seems  to 
me  that  at  last  Corfu  is  reasonably  well  provided.  There  should 
be  at  least  200,000  Ibs.  weight  of  powder  and  20,000  quintals  of 
corn  and  flour  there  :  it  was  greatly  in  want  of  money.  Let  me 
know  if  the  admiral  has  taken  with  him  the  "  Ville  de  Paris  " 
and  some  Italian  brigs,  and  what  cruiser  he  left  in  the  Adriatic. 
You  saw  the  news  from  Spain  in  the  '  Moniteur  '  of  to-day.  I 
have  not  yet  heard  of  the  entry  of  my  troops  into  Madrid ;  they 
ought  to  have  got  there  on  the  23rd.  The  Grand  Duke  of 
BergJ  enters  at  their  head.  Place  my  troops  during  the  sum 
mer  in  healthy  situations,  that  there  may  be  as  few  losses  as 
possible  among  them.  Fortify  Scylla,  for  it  is  not  impossible 
that  the  enemy  may  attempt  to  retake  it.  Place  the  division 
charged  with  the  defence  of  the  country  in  echelons.  The  Ge 
neral  who  commands  in  Calabria  must  have  his  plans  formed 
beforehand,  in  order  to  assemble  his  men  and  go  quickly  to  the 
assistance  of  Scylla.  This  fortress  must  be  supplied  with  pro 
visions  for  at  least  two  months,  must  have  a  good  Commandant, 
good  batteries  sweeping  the  straits,  and  good  fortifications  to- 

*  General  Miollis  had  sent  to  Naples  from  Rome  the  Neapolitan  Cardinals. 
Joseph  would  not  receive  them. — TR. 

t  They  had  proposed  to  receive  the  Archbishop  of  Naples,  who  had  refused 
to  swear  fidelity  to  Joseph,  with  a  triumphal  procession. — TR. 

J  Murat. 
VOL.  I.— U 


314  AFFAIES  OF  SPAIN.  CHAP.  IX. 

wards  the  land.  It  is  perhaps  unlucky  that,  just  when  General 
Reynier's  experience  and  local  knowledge  might  have  been  of 
use  to  you,  you  should  have  permitted  him  to  return.  It  must 
be  owned  that  Admiral  Ganteaume  has  been  horribly  interfered 
with  by  the  weather,  which  has  made  him  lose  20  days,  during 
which  he  might  have  done  so  much ;  but  this  experiment  shows 
us  at  any  rate  what  is  possible.  I  have  10  ships  at  Flushing, 
I  have  some  at  Brest,  and  I  have  a  new  squadron  at  Roehefort 
and  at  Lorient.  You  ought  to  have  let  me  know  more  precisely 
in  what  manner  Faro  is  fortified. 


[  378.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  March  29, 1808. 

My  Brother, — The  Neapolitan  regiments  of  horse  and  foot 
which  I  have  taken  into  my  service  are  not  full.  Send  me 
1000  conscripts  to  complete  them.  I  have  furnished  the  chas 
seurs  with  horses  :  both  regiments  are  at  Barcelona.  If  you 
have  at  your  disposal  another  regiment  of  2000  Neapolitans,  send 
it  to  me. 

[379.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  March  81, 1808. 

My  Brother, — You  have  seen  the  news  from  Spain  in  the 
*  Moniteur.'  I  will  tell  you,  as  a  secret,  that  my  troops  entered 
Madrid  on  the  24th ;  that  King  Charles  protests  against  all  that 
has  been  done ;  *  he  believes  his  life  to  be  in  danger,  and  he  has 
implored  my  protection.  Under  these  circumstances  I  shall  go. 
I  have  many  troops  in  Spain;  they  have  been  well  received 
there.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  I  have  not  recognised  the  new 
king,f  nor  has  he  been  acknowledged  by  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Berg.J  They  have  made  each  other  civil  speeches  without 
meeting,  as  the  Grand  Duke  could  not  treat  him  as  a  king  until 
I  had  recognised  him.  I  may  start  any  day  for  Madrid.  This 
information  is  for  your  use,  and  for  you  alone. 

*  His  abdication  and  Ferdinand's  succession. — TR. 

t  Ferdinand  VII.  |  Murat.— TR. 


APEIL,  1S08.  JOSEPH'S  TITLE  TO  SICILY.  3^5 

[380.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  April  1,1808. 

My  Brother, — I  can  make  out  nothing  from  your  letter  of 
the  23rd.  I  suppose  that  Champagny's  letter  is  anterior  to  the 
quarrel  respecting  M.  d'Aubusson's  letters  of  credit.*  I  have 
expressed  my  displeasure  to  Champagny.f  All  this  is  the  work 
of  a  diplomatic  committee,  composed  of  three  old  noodles  of  im 
mense  reputation  who  commit  nothing  but  follies :  I  have  just 
turned  them  all  out.  Even  England  is  so  well  aware  that  you 
are  king  of  Naples  and  Sicily,  that  she  has  renounced  the  attempt 
to  separate  Sicily  from  your  dominions.  Pay  attention  to  the 
draft  of  a  proclamation  which  you  are  about  to  receive  from 
Paris,  for  it  may  contain  similar  improprieties. 

*  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  to  what  this  alludes. — TB. 

*  Joseph  had  complained  of  sf  letter  from  M.  de  Champagny  to  his  minister, 
Marquis  Gallo,  proposing  that  Joseph  should  call  himself  simply  "King  of 
Naples."— TR. 


316  INVASION  OF  SPAIN.  CHAP.  X. 


CHAPTEK    X. 

THE  letters  contained  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  15th  of 
April  to  the  9th  of  August,  1808. 

During  this  period  Napoleon  was  absent  from  Paris,  preparing 
and  afterwards  superintending  the  seizure  by,  or  rather  through, 
Joseph  of  the  crown  of  Spain.  The  succession  of  events  was  so 
rapid,  that  it  may  be  convenient  to  keep  in  mind,  while  reading 
these  letters,  the  following  dates : — 

The  14th  of  April}  Napoleon  reached  Bayonne. 

2nd  of  May,  insurrection  in  Madrid,  subdued  by  Murat. 

5th  of  May,  surrender  of  the  crown  of  Spain  by  Charles  IV. 
and  Ferdinand  VII.  to  Napoleon. 

22nd  to  the  30th  of  May,  insurrections  throughout  Spain. 

3rd  of  June,  Dupont  reached  Baylen. 

6th  of  June,  Joseph  proclaimed  king  of  Spain  and  the  Indies 
by  Napoleon. 

7th  of  June,  Dupont  took  and  sacked  Cordova. 

Same  day,  arrival  of  Joseph  at  Bayonne. 

15th  of  June,  the  French  fleet  at  Cadiz  surrendered  to  the 
Spaniards. 

Same  day,  meeting  of  the  Junta,  called  together  by  Napoleon 
from  Spain  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  constitution  and  acknow 
ledging  Joseph. 

7th  of  July,  the  constitution  sworn  to  by  the  Junta  and  by 
Joseph. 

9th  of  July.  Joseph  entered  Spain. 


APRIL,  1803.  AFFAIES  AT  BAYONNE.  317 

Same  day,  commencement  of  the  siege  of  Saragossa. 

14th  of  July,  defeat  of  the  Spaniards  under  Blake  and  Guesta 
by  Bessieres,  at  Medina  de  Rio  Seco. 

20th  of  July,  Joseph  entered  Madrid. 

22nd  of  July,  Dupont  and  his  army  at  Baylen  surrendered  to 
the  Spaniards. 

29th  of  July,  Joseph  quitted  Madrid. 

1st  of  August,  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  landed  in  Portugal. 

9th  of  August,  Joseph  reached  Burgos  in  his  retreat  from 
Madrid. 


[381.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  April  15, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter,  with  three  from 
the  Queen  of  Naples,  and  Charlotte,*  and  Zenaide.f  You  no 
longer  mention  Admiral  Ganteaume ;  he  ought,  however,  to 
have  sailed  long  ago.  It  is  true  that  this  is  the  season  of  north 
easterly  winds.  I  arrived  at  Bayonne  yesterday  :  the  Infant 
Don  Carlos  is  here  also.  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  see  him, 
as  he  fell  ill  on  the  day  before  my  arrival.  I  am  expecting  the 
Prince  of  the  Asturias,  who  has  taken  the  name  of  Ferdinand 
VII.,  and  I  am  also  expecting  the  unfortunate  Charles  IV.  and 
the  Queen.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Berg  is  at  Madrid.  General 
Dupont  is  at  Toledo.  I  have  divisions  at  Aranjuez  and  at  the 
Escurial. 

[382.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  April  18, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  7th  of 
April.  I  am  pleased  with  what  you  tell  me  of  Corfu.  I  am 
glad  to  see  that  it  is  in  a  good  state.  I  am  also  happy  to  hear 
that  you  are  fortifying  Scylla.  You  are  sufficiently  acquainted 

*  Joseph's  youngest  daughter.  t  His  eldest  daughter. 


318  AFFAIES  OP  SPAIN.  CHAP.  X 

with  the  country  to  know  how  to  place  your  troops  during  this 
season,  in  order  especially  to  preserve  the  important  post  of 
Scylla.  What  I  particularly  desire  is,  that  they  should  be  placed 
in  healthy  situations.  You  are  right  in  sending  recruits  to  Bar 
celona.  I  have  mounted  your  chasseurs.  All  these  troops  are 
acquiring  experience  and  courage,  which  will  be  useful  to  your 
kingdom.  Send  me  as  many  Neapolitan  regiments  as  you  please, 
provided  that  the  strength  of  each  of  their  companies  amounts 
to  140  men.  Thank  Julie  and  Zenaide  for  their  letters;  I  will 
answer  them,  but  at  present  I  am  too  busy.  You  must  have 
been  very  glad  to  see  your  children  again  in  such  good  health  ; 
they  are  interesting  to  me  in  several  respects.  The  Infant  Don 
Carlos  is  here ;  this  young  prince,  who  is  only  twenty,  fell  ill  on 
his  arrival,  so  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  see  him.  He  has 
several  grandees  of  Spain  with  him.  The  Prince  of  Asturias, 
who  calls  himself  Ferdinand  VII.,  is  at  a  distance  of  20  leagues 
from  the  frontier,  with  a  large  suite.  King  Charles  IY.  and  his 
Queen  are  on  their  way  hither.  He  has  protested,  and  has  ap 
pealed  to  my  arbitration.  My  troops  are  at  Madrid,  Barcelona, 
Figueras,  Pampeluna,  St.  Sebastian,  and  Burgos :  the  Spanish 
army  is  not  formidable.  The  country  is  in  a  state  of  ferment. 
The  Grand  Duke  of  Berg  and  Marshal  Moncey  are  at  Madrid, 
General  Dupont  is  at  Toledo,  and  Marshal  Bessieres  at  Burgos. 
I  have  nearly  100,000  men  here  in  provisional  regiments.  They 
improve  every  day  by  exercise  and  training;  they  are  all  big 
lads,  twenty  years  old,  and  I  have  reason  to  be  satisfied  with 
them.  These  corps  have  not  been  increased  by  a  single  man  be 
longing  to  my  grand  army,  either  in  cavalry,  infantry,  or  artillery. 
Send  back  to  Italy  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  and  the  6th  battalion 
of  drivers,  for  which  I  have  asked  you  several  times.  By  this 
time  you  know  Naples  well  enough  to  be  able  to  find  Neapoli 
tans  to  fill  their  places.  I  cannot  do  without  the  French  drivers, 
and  my  grand  army  must  be  ready  to  second  me,  if  necessary, 
in  the  course  of  the  summer.  My  squadron  has  returned  to 
Toulon  in  good  order.  The  "  Whale  "  flute  has  arrived  at  Mi 
norca.  I  have  lost  nothing,  and  have  sailed  my  squadron,  and 
thus  given  practice  to  my  sailors.  A  squadron  fully  armed  is  to 


MAY,  1808.  INSUKEECTION  IN  MADRID.  319 

leave  the  Scheldt.  I  have  already  eight  ships  at  Flushing ;  they 
were  built  at  Antwerp ;  I  shall  have  eight  more  in  the  course  of 
the  summer.  Pay  attention  to  my  orders  with  respect  to  the 
blockade,  and  see  that  they  are  executed.  Every  American 
ship  which  enters  your  ports  comes  from  England :  start  with 
this  principle.  Up  to  the  present  time  all  my  army  of  Spain  is 
at  my  expense,  and  costs  me  enormous  sums.  The  conscription 
which  I  am  now  raising,  that  which  perhaps  I  socn  shall  be 
obliged  to  raise,  my  cavalry  regiments  which  I  make  up  to  1200 
horse — all  these  entail  immense  expense  on  me,  but  circum 
stances  force  me  to  cover  Europe  with  my  troops.  England  is 
beginning  to  suffer.  Nothing  but  peace  with  that  country  can 
make  me  sheathe  the  sword  and  restore  tranquillity  to  Europe. 

It  is  not  impossible  that  in  the  course  of  five  or  six  days  I  may 
write  to  desire  you  to  repair  to  Bayonne.*  You  will  leave 
Marshal  Jourdan  in  command  of  your  army,  and  appoint  whom 
soever  you  like  regent  of  your  kingdom.  Your  wife  should  re 
main  at  Naples.  If  this  should  take  place  you  will  find  relays 
along  your  road.  Up  to  the  present  time,  however,  all  is  still 
uncertain. 

[  383.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  May  6, 1808. 

My  Brother, — You  will  find  annexed  a  pamphlet,  which  will 
acquaint  you  with  the  state  of  affairs  in  Spain.  The  conclusion 
is  approaching.  King  Charles  has  yielded  up  to  me  his  right  to 
the  throne,  and  he  is  about  to  retire  to  Compiegne  with  the 
Queen  and  some  of  his  children.  A  few  days  before  this  treaty 
was  signed,  the  Prince  of  the  Austrias  abdicated :  I  restored  the 
crown  to  King  Charles.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Berg  has  been  ap 
pointed  Lieutenant-General  of  the  kingdom,  and  President  of  all 
the  councils.  There  was  a  great  insurrection  at  Madrid  on  the 
2nd  of  May ;  between  30,000  and  40,000  persons  were  collected 
in  the  streets  and  the  houses,  and  fired  from  the  windows.  Two 
battalions  of  fusileers  of  my  guard,  and  400  or  500  horse,  brought 

*  This  was  the  first  hint  to  Joseph  that  he  might  have  to  exchange  the 
Neapolitan  for  the  Spanish  crown. — TB. 


320  JOSEPH  TO  BE  KING  OF  SPAIN.  CHAP.  X. 

them  to  their  senses.  More  than  2000  of  the"  populace  were 
killed.  I  had  60,000  men  in  Madrid  who  could  do  nothing. 
We  have  taken  advantage  of  this  occurrence  to  disarm  the  town. 


[  384. J  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  May  11, 1808. 

My  Brother, — You  will  find  annexea  the  letter  of  King 
Charles  to  the  Prince  of  the  Asturias  and  a  copy  of  my  treaty 
with  the  King.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Berg  is  lieutenant-general 
of  the  kingdom,  president  of  the  junta,  and  generalissim-o  of 
the  Spanish  forces.  King  Charles  starts  in  two  days  for  Com- 
piegne.  The  Prince  of  the  Asturias  is  going  towards  Paris. 
The  other  Infants  are  to  occupy  villas  in  the  environs  of  Paris. 
King  Charles,  by  his  treaty  with  me,  surrenders  to  me  all  his 
rights  to  the  crown  of  Spain.  The  Prince  had  already  renounced 
his  pretended  title  of  King,  the  abdication  of  King  Charles  in 
his  favour  having  been  involuntary.  The  nation,  through  the 
Supreme  Council  of  Castile,  asks  me  for  a  king ;  I  destine  this 
crown  for  you.  Spain  is  a  very  different  thing  from  Naples ;  it 
contains  11  millions  of  inhabitants,  and  has  more  than  150  mil 
lions  of  revenue,  without  counting  the  Indies  and  the  immense 
revenue  to  be  derived  from  them.  It  is  besides  a  throne  which 
places  you  at  Madrid,  at  three  days'  journey  from  France,  which 
borders  the  whole  of  one  of  its  frontiers.  At  Madrid  you  are  in 
France ;  Naples  is  the  end  of  the  world.  I  wish  you  there 
fore,  immediately  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  to  appoint  whom 
you  please  Begent,  and  to  come  to  Bayonne  by  way  of  Turin, 
Mont  Cenis,  and  Lyons.  You  will  receive  this  letter  on  the 
19th,  you  will  start  on  the  20th,  and  you  will  be  here  on  the  1st 
of  June.  Before  you  go,  leave  instructions  with  Marshal  Jour- 
dan  as  to  the  disposition  of  your  troops,  and  make  arrangements 
as  if  you  were  to  be  absent  only  to  the  1st  of  July.  Be  secret, 
however ;  your  journey  will  probably  excite  only  too  much  sus 
picion,  but  you  will  say  that  you  are  going  to  the  North  of  Italy 
to  confer  with  me  on  important  matters. 


JITNK,  1808.  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  ANSWER  TO  ADDRESS.  321 

[385.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  May  21, 1808. 

My  Brother, — The  captain  of  the  Neapolitan  gunboat  "  Le 
Requin "  must  be  arrested  and  brought  to  trial  for  having 
cowardly  surrendered  his  boat. 


[  386.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  June  16, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  am  writing  to  M.  Laforest.     On  your  side 

get  some  information  from ,*  whom  you  are  in  the  habit  of 

seeing,  concerning  the  person  whom  I  am  about  to  mention  to 
you.  He  is  the  Chief  of  Criminal  Justice  in  Madrid.  If  his 
talents  and  decision  are  such  as  I  hear,  and  he  can  be  trusted, 
great  use  may  be  made  of  him.  The  junta  is  to  address  you  to 
morrow.  Prepare  your  answer.  You  must  speak  of  the  sorrow 
with  which  you  are  filled  by  the  disturbances  in  Spain,  and  of 
your  regret  at  being  obliged  to  obtain  by  a  forcible  repression  a 
result  which  should  have  been  produced  by  reason  and  conviction 
alone.  Indicate  a  wish  to  be  soon  in  the  midst  of  your  new 
subjects,  in  order  to  conciliate  all  interests,  and  to  begin  your 
reign  with  acts  of  pardon  and  clemency.  This  speech  should  not 
be  short,  and  should  be  carefully  expressed.  Hedouville  speaks 
Spanish  perfectly ;  you  may  take  him  for  your  private  secretary. 
Till  he  has  entered  your  service  definitively  I  shall  continue  to 
give  him  the  rank  of  minister-plenipotentiary.  He  is  a  safe  man 
in  all  respects,  on  whose  honesty  and  devotion  you  may  build. 
You  must  think  about  appointing  a  Master  of  the  Household,  a 
High  Chamberlain,  and  a  Master  of  the  Horse.  Consult  on  the 
subject  d'Azanza,  d'Urquijo,  and  the  Duke  della  Parca.  In  three 

*  When  Bang  Joseph  quitted  Switzerland  in  1815  he  left  his  papers  buried 
in  a  wood  near  Prangias.  They  remained  in  the  earth  until  1818.  Some 
portions  became  illegible  :  this  is  one. — ED. 

Napoleon  and  Joseph  were  at  this  time  both  at  Bayonne.  Joseph  arrived 
on  the  7th  of  June.  Napoleon  had  proclaimed  him  King  of  Spain  and  of  the 
Indies  on  the  Gth.  The  Junta,  a  body  named  by  Napoleon,  and  sitting  at 
Bayonne,  recognised  him  as  king  on  the  15th. — TK. 

VOL.  I.— 14* 


322  CIVIL  IIONOUES.— JOSEPH  ENTEES  SPAIN.  CHAP.  X 

or  four  days  the  chief  officers  of  the  crown  as  well  as  the  minis 
ters  must  be  appointed.  These  nominations  will  be  your  best 
proclamation.  , 


[  387.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  7, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  made  Generals  Salligny  and  Maurice 
Mathieu  Counts  of  the  Empire,  and  General  Merlin  a  Baron.  I 
have  given  the  Eagle  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  to  the  Duke  of 
Noga.  I  have  also  bestowed  the  title  of  Count  of  the  Empire 
upon  Stanislas  Girardin.  I  have  given  Marquis  Gallo  a  pension 
of  5000  ducats  a-year.  With  regard  to  Marshal  Jourdan,  I  fear 
that,  if  I  gave  him  such  a  high  title  as  Duke  of  Fleurus  with  a 
fortune,  he  would  want  to  return  to  Paris.*  You  should  send 
for  him  to  Madrid,  and  tell  him  that  I  intend  for  him  one  of  the 
ten  duchies  which  I  have  not  yet  given  away,  and  in  this  way 
gain  a  few  months.  He  will  serve  you  in  Spain,  and  get  used 
to  it. 

[388.]  NAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  10, 1808. 

My  Brother, — The  orderly  officer  whom  I  sent  yesterday  to 
St.  Sebastian  has  informed  me  of  your  arrival  there.f  By  this 
time  you  must  have  reached  Tolosa.  I  hope  that  you  have 
written  to  me  from  thence ;  if  not,  let  the  page  who  takes  this 
letter  bring  me  an  answer.  I  wish  you  to  write  to  me  every  day 
during  your  journey.  General  Reille  has  taken  possession  of 
Figueras  with  a  division.  He  will  remain  there  some  days  to 
collect  his  troops,  after  which  he  will  march  on  the  strong  points 
in  Catalonia.  You  ought,  I  think,  to  write  every  day  to  Savary 
at  Madrid,  and  to  Marshal  Bessieres  at  Burgos,  that  you  may  be 
made  aware  of  all  that  is  going  on.  AzanzaJ  and  Urquijo^  write, 
of  course,  every  day  to  the  junta  of  Madrid.  It  is  requisite  that 

*  Joseph  had  asked  that  Jourdan  should  be  thus  rewarded. — ED. 
f  Joseph  entered  Spain  on  the  9th  of  July. — TR. 
J  Minister  of  the  Indies. 
§  Secretary  of  State. 


JULY,  1808.  CONTRIBUTION  ON  SANTANDEE.  323 

Cevallos*  should  write  from  Vittoria  a  despatch  to  all  the  Spanish 
ministers  abroad  to  announce  your  arrival  in  Spain,  your  arrival 
at  Vittoria,  &c.  &c.  This  despatch  should  be  carefully  written : 
if  he  does  not  wish  to  employ  a  courier,  he  may  send  his  des 
patches  to  M.  de  Champagny,  who  will  see  that  they  go.  He  ought 
to  write  another  circular  from  Burgos  to  indicate  to  your  diplo 
matic  agents  the  language  whicn  they  are  to  hold  respecting  the 
late  events  and  the  constitution.! 


[389.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  10, 1808,  6  P.M. 

My  Brother, — I  received  your  letter  to-day.  You  may  do 
as  you  please  .with  regard  to  the  contribution  to  be  levied  on 
Santander.J  I  had  ordered  Marshal  Bessieres  to  enforce  it  as 
soon  as  my  troops  marched  on  the  town.  The  inhabitants  de 
serve  to  be  well  punished  for  their  shameful  treatment  of  the 
consul  and  the  French  inhabitants.  All  that  I  care  about  is  that 
the  French  whom  they  have  arrested,  and  whose  property  they 
have  seized,  be  indemnified,  which  will  not  cost  much.  I  beg  of 
you  to  write  to  me  more  in  detail.  I  have  had  news  from 
Russia.  They  know  and  have  recognised  all  that  has  taken  place 
in  Spain. 

[390.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  12, 1808,  8  A.M. 

My  Brother, — I  am  sending  a  squadron  of  200  dragoons  to 
Vittoria.  I  have  given  the  command  to  your  aide-de-camp 
Tascher.  I  have  two  objects  in  this, — first  to  form  this  young 
man,  who  has  never  before  had  a  command,  and  secondly  to  keep 
an  eye  upon  your  rear.  You  will  authorize  him  to  correspond 

*  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. — TR. 

f  Joseph  had  proposed  to  the  Junta  a  constitution  for  Spain,  which  was 
accepted  by  the  Junta  on  the  7th  of  July. — TR. 

J  Joseph  wrote  to  ask  whether  he  was  at  liberty  to  diminish  or  remit  a 
contribution  of  12,000,000  reals  imposed  on  the  town  of  Santander  by  the 
French  general. — TR. 


324  TFwOOPS  FOR  VITTORIA.  CHAP.  X. 

directly  with  yourself.  The  squadron  will  reach  Vittoria  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th  or  15th,  and  will  garrison  the  town.  I 
have  also  ordered  the  3rd  battalion  from  the  depjt  of  provisional 
regiments  to  repair  to  Vittoria;  its  strength  amounts  to  400  men; 
with  the  squadron  of  dragoons  it  will  form  a  sufficient  garrison. 
I  wish  you  to  leave  Tascher  with  this  detachment,  that  he  may 
acquire  knowledge  and  experience,  and  become  available  for  em 
ployment.  When  I  quit  Bayonne  you  must  keep  one  of  your 
aides-de-camp  in  the  town  to  correspond  with  you  directly,  and  to 
tell  you  all  that  goes  on.  I  suppose  that  by  this  time  you  have 
reached  Vittoria.  The  squadron  which  I  am  sending  thither  will 
sleep  to-night  (the  12th)  at  Irun,  and  to-morrow  at  Tolosa,  and 
reach  Vittoria  at  latest  on  the  morning  of  the  15th.  The  bat 
talion  from  the  depot  of  provisional  regiments,  which  is  to  sleep 
at  Tolosa  to-morrow,  will  also  reach  Vittoria  on  the  15th.  Till 
this  troop  arrives,  keep  at  Vittoria  a  battalion  of  the  2nd  light 
infantry,  which,  as  soon  as  the  advanced  party  of  the  garrison 
arrives,  will  rejoin  the  troops  at  Burgos.  Besides  the  500,000 
francs  which  I  have  lent  to  you,  I  have  at  Burgos  about  300,000 
francs.  You  will  find  annexed  an  order  for  them,  and  you  will 
send  me  an  order  on  your  treasurer  to  repay  these  300,000  francs 
to  me  out  of  what  remains  to  be  paid  to  you  from  your  appanage 
as  a  French  prince  for  the  year  1808.  As  it  was  included  in  the 
budget,  you  ought  to  receive  this  allowance  till  the  1st  of  January 
next. 


[391.3  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  12, 1808,  4  P.M. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  llth.  I 
suppose  that  to-day  you  are  at  Vittoria.  There  are  no  longer 
any  troops  at  Burgos,  except  some  depots  and  a  garrison  in  the 
castle.  I  do  not  think,  therefore,  that  it  would  be  prudent  in 
you  to  arrive  in  that  town  before  the  12th  light  infantry,  that 
is  to  say  before  the  15th.  You  will  hear  important  news  there, 
and  you  will  make  up  your  mind.  Marshal  Bessieres  was  to  com 
mence  operations  this  morning,  the  12th.  It  is  probable  that  by 


JULY,  1808.  JOSEPH'S  JOUENET  TO  MADEID.  325 

the  14th  an  engagement  will  have  taken  place.  When  once  he 
has  beaten  Cuesta,  either  at  Benevento  or  at  Leon,  I  think  the 
moment  will  be  opportune  for  communicating  with  the  troops  of 
the  line.  O'Farill  assures  us  that  they  ask  for  nothing  better 
than  to  submit,  and  that  they  are  aware  that  they  are  playing  a 
bad  game.  If  you  succeed  in  bringing  back  the  troops  of  the 
line  from  Gallicia,  the  most  difficult  part  will  be  done.  The  plans 
are  such  that  Marshal  Bessieres  may  Jiave  just  beaten  the  rebels 
when  you  arrive.  In  that  case  send  them  conciliatory  messages 
by  some  of  the  Spaniards  who  are  with  you,  taking  care  not  to 
employ  as  messengers  any  ministers  or  members  of  the  govern 
ment,  lest  they  should  be  detained.  If  you  decide  upon  posting 
from  Burgos  to  Madrid,  you  may  get  there  in  30  hours,  by  way 
of  Aranda.  I  have  just  inquired  when  the  3  million  francs  which 
you  have  here  were  to  be  sent  ;  your  agent  answered  that  they 
could  not  go  before  Thursday.  I  have  desired  one  million  to  be 
sent  this  evening;  it  will  arrive  at  Vittoria  under  Tascher's 
escort. 

[392.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  13, 1808,  6  P.M. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  15th,  from 
Salinas.  One  million  of  the  4  millions  of  francs  which  you 
have  here  was  sent  last  night  under  the  charge  of  Tascher ;  the 
other  3  will  be  sent  to-morrow  with  an  escort  of  infantry.  On 
the  16th,  therefore,  you  will  have  at  Vittoria  4  million  francs, 
between  300  and  400  horse,  and  1000  foot.  They  are  wanted  at 
Yittoria.  Marshal  Bessieres  is,  at  this  time,  with  all  his  forces 
assembled,  at  Medina  de  Rio  Seco.  It  is  probable  that  by  the 
15th  he  will  have  engaged  Cuesta.*  In  the  course  of  the  16th, 
therefore,  you  will  know  what  to  do.  You  will  find  the  16th 
regiment  at  Burgos,  with  6  pieces  of  cannon,  4  select  battalions, 
and  1  squadron  of  cavalry,  besides  1000  men  who  occupy  the  cita- 

*  Bessieres  engaged  and  defeated  Cuesta  and  Blake,  commanding  the 
Spanish  armies  of  Castile  and  Gallicia,  at  Medina  de  Rio  Seco,  on  the  14th. 
— TR 


326  POSITION  OF  THE  ARMIES  IN  SPAIN.  CHAP.  X. 

del.  Send  an  aide-de-camp  to  the  camp  of  Marshal  Bessieres  to 
bring  you  the  news.  Keep  Merlin  with  you.  You  will  have  to 
act  according  to  circumstances.  You  will  either  march  with  your 
reserve  to  the  camp  of  Marshal  Bessieres  to  reinforce  his  army, 
and  preside  in  person  over  the  first  victory,  thus  announcing  by  a 
striking  event  your  arrival  in  Spain,  and  causing  peaceable  over 
tures  and  conciliatory  measures  to  succeed  the  battle ;  or  you  will 
send  your  reserve  of  infantry  to  Marshal  Bessieres,  and  yourself 
travel  by  post  to  Madrid  through  Aranda.  The  position  of  the 
French  armies  in  Spain  was  excellent.  In  war  a  bad  disposition 
changes  everything.  It  still  is  good,  but,  against  my  opinion, 
Savary  has  foolishly  scattered  the  divisions  of  Frere  and  Gooert. 
I  had  intended  Gobert's  division  and  a  regiment  of  cuirassiers  to 
reinforce  Marshal  Bessieres'  corps.  His  force  being  thus  increased 
by  6000  men,  the  enemy  would  have  had  no  chance  against  him. 
You  will  find  annexed  the  notes  which  I  have  just  dictated  to 
General  Bertrand  for  General  Savary,  describing  what  the  position 
of  the  army  should  be  in  every  possible  conjuncture.  Keep  this 
copy.*  When  you  hear  that  Marshal  Bessieres  has  beaten 
Cuesta,  your  situation  will  be  better  than  ever.  In  the  position 
of  the  army  there  are  only  two  principal  points.  The  most  im 
portant  is  that  of  Marshal  Bessieres,!  and  I  am  annoyed,  therefore, 
at  General  Savary's  not  having  seen  that  he  was  wrong  in  hesi 
tating  to  reinforce  Marshal  Bessieres.  The  other  important  point 
is  that  of  General  Dupont :  J  he  has  more  troops  than  he  wants 
there.  Saragossa  and  Valencia  are  posts  of  little  consequence. 
Saragossa  is  useful  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  pacification 
of  the  country,  but  not  for  offensive  purposes.  Valencia,  if  the 
error  of  sending  General  Frere  thither  had  not  been  committed, 
is  of  a  lower  order.  In  three  days  3  fine  regiments  of  the  line 
will  arrive,  which  are  intended  by  me  to  hold  Biscay,  and  to  rein 
force  your  army.  Marshal  Bessieres  has  ordered  General  Gau- 

*  Found  in  Joseph's  carriage  after  the  battle  of  Vittoria,  and  published  by 
Napier. — ED. 

t  Between  Valladolid  and  Valencia. — TR. 

J  Between  Ondujar  and  Baylen,  on  the  Guadalquiver,  in  Andalusia. — TB. 


JULY,  1808.  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  AEMY.  327 

lois,  who  had  2  battalions  at  Santander,  to  join  him.  As  this 
General  did  not  start  till  the  12th,  he  will  not  reach  Marshal 
Bessieres'  corps  for  some  time.  Ask  the  Marshal  to  give  you  the 
itinerary  of  this  brigade,  in  order  that  you  may  know  where  to 
find  it,  if  circumstances  should  become  urgent. 

Do  not  be  uneasy  ;  you  \*ill  want  for  nothing.  General  Rey, 
my  aide-de-camp,  sends  10,000  men  to-morrow  to  Figueras  in 
Catalonia.  Be  happy,  and  above  all,  be  well.  Get  to  Madrid. 


[393.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  14, 1808. 

My  Brother, — In  one  of  your  letters  you  talk  of  a  continental 
war.  I  thought  that  I  had  told  you  that  my  relations  with  Rus 
sia  were  good.  With  regard  to  Austria,  the  noise  that  she  is 
making  is  only  the  result  of  a  panic;  it  is  all  unimportant.*  A 
report  which  you  will  find  annexed  will  tell  you  how  the  places  in 
your  rear,  Vittoria,  Burgos,  &c.,  are  guarded,  and  will  give  you  a 
general  view  of  the  position  of  my  army  in  Spain. 


[394.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  14, 1808, 11  P.  M. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  13th  from 
Vittoria.  You  will  get  this  letter  at  Burgos,  where,  as  I  learn 
from  a  despatch  of  Marshal  Bessieres,  independently  of  General 
Rey's  brigade,  you  will  have  found  General  Gaulois'  brigade  and 
a  battalion  from  Paris.  These  troops  are  to  start  on  the  17th  to 
join  General  Rey's  brigade.  This  will  enable  him  to  support 
Marshal  Bessieres. 

Do  not  be  uneasy  about  Biscay ;  there  will  be  quite  enough 
infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery  to  keep  it  in  check.  Santander 
has  been  evacuated  because  Marshal  Bessieres  has  thought  fit  to 
assemble  his  forces.  If  you  could  send  thither  a  Spanish  colonel 
or  some  one  to  command  in  your  name,  it  would  be  a  great  advan 
tage.  It  is  possible  that  they  may  ask  you  for  troops ;  you  will 

*  Nine  months  after,  he  was  at  war  with  Austria. — TR. 


328  SPAIN.— MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  AEMT.  CHAP.  X. 

tell  them  that  some  are  being  sent  to  them.  Marshal  Bessieres 
was  to  be  in  presence  of  the  enemy  to-day.  Therefore,  on  the 
16th,  the  day  on  which  you  will  receive  this  letter,  you  will  get 
reports  from  the  aides-de-camp  whom  you  have  sent,  which  will 
give  you  information  as  to  the  forces  of  Cuesta,  and  as  to  what 
Marshal  Bessieres  has  done.  That  you  should  proceed  to  Madrid 
immediately  after  the  capture  of  Benevento,  and  the  success  of 
Marshal  Bessieres,  must  be  right.  If  you  take  with  you  to  Pa- 
lencia  the  brigades  of  Generals  Rey  and  Gaulois,  the  battalion 
from  Paris,  and  your  mounted  guai*d,  you  will  have  a  division  of 
nearly  5000  men  and  10  pieces  of  artillery,  which  will  be  a  good 
reserve  to  support  Marshal  Bessieres. 

Tascher,  with  the  12th  marching  squadron,  ought  to  arrive 
this  evening  at  Vittoria.  As  soon  as  the  13th  marching  squadron, 
which  is  to  sleep  to-night  at  Irun,  reaches  Vittoria,  the  squadron 
commanded  by  Tascher  is  to  leave  for  Burgos.  I  conclude  thai 
you  write  every  day  to  Marshal  Bessieres  and  General  Savary 
This  is  necessary,  in  order  that  they  may  report  to  you.  You 
will  thus  be  really  in  command  of  the  army.  Be  happy  and 
cheerful;  take  care  of  your  health.  The  action  of  Marshal  Bes 
sieres  will  draw  up  the  curtain  from  before  the  affairs  of  Spain. 
Troops  are  arriving  from  every  side. 


[395.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  15, 1808,  9  p.  M. 

My  Brother, — I  received  your  letter  of  the  14th  at  8  o'clock. 
It  was  delivered  to  me  by  the  page  whom  I  sent  to  you.  Since 
then  a  courier  ought  to  have  reached  you,  bearing  notes  on  the 
position  of  the  army.  You  tell  me  in  your  letter  that  you  have 
heard  nothing  from  Madrid  for  48  hours.  Up  to  this  time  my 
communications  with  Madrid  are  uninterrupted.  The  courier  who 
arrived  yesterday  started  from  Madrid  on  the  llth,  at  midnight, 
and  I  am  expecting  to-night  the  one  who  started  on  the  12th.  I 
have  this  moment  received  news  from  Saragossa  of  the  13th.  All 
is  well  there.  They  had  committed  some  follies  and  some  military 
mistakes,  which  had  done  harm,  but  all  that  is  now  remedied.  A 


JULY,  ISOa  SIEGE  OF  SAKAGOSSA.  329 

bridge  has  been  thrown  over  the  Ebro  at  a  distance  of  1000  toises 
from  the  city,  and  a  tete-de-pont  established  on  it.  The  rebels, 
feeling  the  importance  of  this  position,  attacked  it;  they  were 
repulsed  and  cut  off,  many  of  them  were  killed  and  taken  prison 
ers,  and  their  8-pounders  captured.  Among  the  killed  are  several 
officers  of  the  line.  I  send  you  General  Verdier's  report.  On 
the  other  side  the  trenches  are  advanced  in  two  directions.  They 
are  providing  the  artillery  with  ammunition.  A  convent,  which 
is  at  a  distance  of  about  120  yards  from  the  walls,  and  which  the 
enemy  were  anxious  to  preserve,  has  been  taken.  The  state  of  the 
troops  before  Saragossa  is  as  follows  :  12,000  infantry,  1300 
cavalry,  and  a  great  many  field-pieces,  drawn  by  600  artillery 
horses. 

I  have  sent  to  Pampeluna  a  garrison  of  2000  men,  in  order  to 
have  a  column  of  12,000  or  15,000,  which  may  be  sent  to  hold 
Navarre. 

Desire  the  authorities  of  Burgos,  and-  of  all  the  towns  in 
Aragon  and  Navarre,  to  have  all  letters  opened,  and  to  stop  the 
printed  papers  and  bad  news  which  the  insurgents  circulate.  It 
is  a  great  means  for  securing  tranquillity  in  your  rear. 


[396.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  16, 1808,  noon. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  some  letters  which  were  seized 

by  General *  in  his  expedition  of  the .*  Palafox  had 

escaped  when  the  bombardment  took  place.  The  courier  from 
Madrid  of  the *  has  just  arrived. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Marshal  Moncey  has  succeeded  against 
the  insurgents  of  Valencia ;  that  he  has  not  thought  proper  to 
attack  the  town,  which  he  probably  found  barricaded ;  and  that 
he  is  parleying  or  encamped  before  it.  I  send  you  a  letter  from 
Laforest.f  M.  d'Urquijo  must  not  begin  by  committing  follies. 
The  Secratary  of  State  should  transmit  everything  to  the 
different  ministers,  and  they  alone  ought  to  act ;  otherwise  there 

*  Illegible. — ED.  f  This  letter  does  not  appear. — TR. 


330  BATTLE  OF  MEDINA  DE  K1O  SECO.  CHAP.  X. 

would  be  only  one  minister  in  Spain,  the  Secretary  of  State,  and 
the  other  ministers  would  become  ciphers.  The  Secretary  of 
State  was  wrong  in  sending  the  Constitution  to  the  Assembly ,' 
he  ought  to  have  sent  it  to  the  Minister  of  Justice.  Laforest's 
proposal  with  respect  to  the  Court  of  Appeal  seems  to  me 
good.  I  still  think  that  you  could  not  have  a  better  Minister  of 
Police  than  the  man  whom  I  pointed  out  to  you;*  he  has 
decision,  talent,  and  dexterity. 


[397.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  17,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  just  received  your  letter  announcing 
the  victory  of  Medina  de  Rio  Seco.  It  is  a  glorious  victory. 
Send  Marshal  Bessieres  the  Golden  Fleece  as  a  proof  of  your 
satisfaction.  This  is  the  most  important  event  in  the  Spanish 
war ;  it  gives  a  colour  to  the  whole  business.  It  is  now  neces 
sary  to  support  General  Dupont.  Gobert's  and  the  intermediate 
divisions  may  all  join  him.  It  is  of  great  consequence  that 
General  Dupont  should  beat  the  army  of  Andalusia.  When  I 
have  clearer  accounts  of  the  result  of  Marshal  Bessieres'  achieve 
ments,  and  of  the  events  at  Valencia,  I  will  send  you  a  scheme 
of  action.  Bey's  and  Gaulois'  brigades  should  rejoin  Marshal 
Bessieres,  who  will  then  have  more  than  21,000  men  in  his 
divisions  in  the  field.  He  will  have  enough  to  conquer  the 
Asturias  and  Galicia.  The  14th  and  the  44th  of  the  line  are  to 
arrive  here  this  evening;  the  43rd  and  the  51st  will  be  here  in 
five  days;  many  more  battalions  of  reserve  are  coming;  your 
rear  will  consequently  be  kept  quite  safe.  General  Dupont  is 
now  the  principal  object. 


[  398.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  18,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  17th  from 
Aranda.     The  Prince  of  Neufchatel  has  communicated  to  me 

*  M.  CabaUero.— ED. 


JULY,  1SOS.  OPINION  OF  SAVAEY.  331 

General  Savary's  letter.  Savary  is  an  excellent  man  in  a  subor 
dinate  situation,  but  he  has  not  experience  or  powers  of  combina 
tion  enough  to  wield  such  a  vast  machine.  He  does  not  under 
stand  this  war  of  marches.  I  am  anxious  for  Jourdan  to  join 
you.  Nothing  can  make  up  for  the  want  of  the  habit  of  com 
manding  in  chief,  which  gives  that  of  calculation  and  of  combina 
tion.  You  will  receive  to-morrow  some  memoranda  on  the  state 
of  affairs.  The  Queen*  left  Stupini  on  the  15th;  as  this  is  the 
18th,  I  suppose  her  to  be  at  Lyons.  I  start  to-morrow  for  Pau. 
General  Drouet  d'Erlon,  who  is  in  command  of  the  llth  military 
division,  remains  at  Bayonne.  At  Barcelona  General  Duhesme 
has  had  the  convents  searched ;  cartridges  were  found  in  them : 
he  therefore,  as  was  proper,  seized  everything.  I  tell  you  what 
he  did  as  an  example,  and  that  you  may  take  care  to  search  the 
convents.  You  must  not  let  Savary  suspect  my  opinion  of  his 
incapacity.  After  all,  he  is  a  useful  man,  as  he  possesses  energy, 
zeal,  and  despatch.  Pray  tell  me  from  time  to  time  how  the 
Duke  del'  Infantado,  and  generally  the  people  round  you,  behave. 
The  renunciation  of  the  princes  of  the  house  of  Spain  has  been 
inserted  in  the  official  journal  of  St.  Petersburg,  which  I  re 
ceived  to-day.  Have  no  fears  concerning  war,  and  do  not  be  un 
easy  about  the  success  of  my  armies  in  Spain.  Here,  in  two 
words,  is  the  substance  of  the  memorandum  which  you  will  re 
ceive  to-morrow.  Leave  Moncey  at  San  Clemente  or  in  the  en 
virons,  that  he  may  threaten  Valencia.  Keep  12,000  men, 
cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery,  in  Madrid,  including  the  line  of 
communication  to  La  Mancha.  Increase  General  Dupont's  corps 
to  22,000  men,  infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry.  Put  3000  men 
in  the  mountain  passes  and  communications  of  La  Mancha,  whom 
he  may  call  in  as  a  reserve  on  a  day  of  action.  Furnish  him  with 
reinforcements  to  this  amount  as  soon  as  possible,  that  he  may 
immediately  attack  and  beat  the  enemy.  On  the  other  side  you 
will  find  a  return  of  your  army. 

*  Joseph's  wife. — ED. 


STATE  OF  FEENCH  ARMY  IN  SPAIN.  CHAP.  X. 

STATE    OF    THE    FRENCH    ARMY   IN    SPAIN. 

Bayonne,  July  13, 1808. 

Corps  of  the  Eastern  Pyrenees : — 

General  Duhesme,  commander,  operating  independently  in 
Catalonia,  20,000  men.  This  includes  General  Reille's  di 
vision,  stationed  at  Figueras. 

Corps  of  Aragon : — 

General  Yerdier,  commander,  16,000  men.  This  includes  the 
garrison  of  Pampeluna,  and  3000  men  of  the  14th  and  44th 
of  the  line,  which  leave  Bayonne  to-morrow  to  join  General 
Yerdier. 

Corps  of  the  Western  Pyrenees : — 

Marshal  Bessieres,  commander.  First  division  in  the  field 
in  the  kingdom  of  Leon,  17,000  men.  A  column  at 
Burgos,  2000 ;  at  Aranda,  1000 ;  at  Yittoria,  2000— total 
22,000.  Reinforcements  now  on  march  towards  Burgos 
and  Yittoria  will  raise  this  corps  to  the  above-mentioned 
strength. 

Corps  of  Madrid : — 

Under  Marshal  Moncey,  18,000  men.  This  includes  the 
troops  which  keep  up  the  communication  as  far  as  La 
Mancha,  and  General  Key's  brigade. 

Corps  of  General  Dupont : — 

25,000  men.  This  includes  the  troops  which  keep  up  the 
communication  from  La  Mancha. 

Some  changes  are  to  be  made  in  these  two  last  corps. 
Grand  Total— 101,000  men. 

The  staff  has  not  obtained  returns  showing  exactly  the  troops 
that  are  on  their  march  to  join  these  corps,  but  there  is  no  doubt 


JULY,  1808.  APPOINTMENT  OF  JOUEDAN.  333 

that  in  fact  there  are  now  in  Spain  116,000  men  present  under 
arms. 

[  399.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  18, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  am  not  pleased  with  General  Reynier's  letter. 
It  seems  as  if  he  made  concessions.*  I  have  ordered  Marshal 
Jourdan  to  set  off  by  post.  He  will  reach  Madrid  about  the 
middle  of  August.  I  have  desired  him  to  give  up  the  command 
of  the  army  of  Naples  to  the  senior  general  of  division.  He  will 
unite  the  two  offices  of  commandant  of  my  army  under  the  title 
of  chief  of  your  staff,  and  of  captain  of  your  guard,  if  you  are 
willing  to  confide  these  duties  to  him. 


[400.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  18, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  17th.  I 
suppose  that  you  started  to-day  for  Madrid.  I  should  have  pre 
ferred  your  passing  through  Palencia  and  Yalladolid.  As  soon 
as  I  receive  further  reports  from  Marshal  Bessieres,  and  I  have 
conversed  with  Marshal  Moncey's  aide-de-camp,  I  will  write  to 
you  in  detail  on  the  state  of  affairs.  3000  men  are  to  set  off  to 
morrow  to  join  the  corps  before  Saragossa.  It  is  essential  to  have 
a  trustworthy  general  at  Burgos,  to  collect  the  troops  which  are 
about  to  repair  thither,  and  to  correspond  with  you.  Some  par 
ticulars  of  your  reception  at  Burgos  would  have  interested  me. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  from  several  accounts  that  Marshal  Bes 
sieves  beat  only  two-thirds  of  the  army  of  Gallicia,  and  that  the 
other  third  took  no  part  in  the  affair  of  Rio-Seco.  What  I  have 
seen  up  to  the  present  time  of  Marshal  Moncey's  operations  makes 
me  think  that  he  has  done  all  that  he  could ;  that  he  has  beaten 
the  rebels  in  every  encounter ;  that  he  has  inflicted  great  injury 
upon  them ;  and  that,  in  fact,  he  deserves  nothing  but  praise.  If 
his  health  were  not  so  bad,  he  would  be  a  good  governor  of 
Madrid.  After  the  great  victory  of  Medina  de  Rio-Seco,  Gen- 

*  Napoleon  had  proposed  to  Reynier  to  be  with  Joseph  in  Spain. — ED. 


334  SPAIN.-JOSEPH'S  FEAKS.  CIIAP.  X. 

eral  Dupont  may  think  seriously  of  destroying  or  dispersing  the 
troops  of  General  Castanos.  I  presume  that  you  correspond  with 
Marshal  Bessieres  by  Valladolid. 


[401.]  JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

July  18, 1808. 

Sire, — It  appears  to  me  that  no  one  has  told  your  Majesty 
the  whole  truth.  I  will  not  conceal  it.  Our  undertaking  is  a 
very  great  one :  to  get  out  of  it  with  honour  requires  vast  means. 
I  do  not  see  double  from  fear.  When  I  left  Naples,  I  saw  the 
risks  before  me,  and  I  now  say  to  myself  every  day,  "  My  life  is 
nothing,  I  give  it  to  you."  But  if  I  am  to  live  without  the 
shame  of  failure,  I  must  be  supplied  largely  with  men  and  money. 
Then  the  kindness  of  my  nature  may  make  me  popular.  Now, 
while  all  is  doubtful,  kindness  looks  like  timidity,  and  I  try  to 
conceal  mine.  To  get  quickly  through  this  task,  so  hateful  to  a 
sovereign,  to  prevent  further  insurrections,  to  have  less  blood  to 
shed  and  fewer  tears  to  dry,  enormous  force  must  be  employed. 
Whatever  be  the  result  in  Spain,  its  king  must  lament,  for,  if  he 
conquers,  it  will  be  by  force ;  but,  as  the  die  is  cast,  the  struggle 
should  be  cut  short.  My  position  does  not  frighten  me,  but  it  is 
one  in  which  a  king  never  was  before.  I  have  not  a  single  par 
tisan.* 


[  402.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  19, 1808, 10  P.M. 

My  Brother, — I  received  your  letter  of  the  18th  at  3  o'clock 
this  morning.  I  am  sorry  to  see  that  your  courage  seems  to  fail 
you ;  it  is  the  only  misfortune  which  I  feared.  Troops  are  pour 
ing  in  continually  from  aft  quarters.  You  have  a  great  many 
partisans  in  Spain,  you  have  all  the  honest  people,  but  they  fear 

*  I  have  translated  this  letter,  written  by  Joseph  only  nine  days  after  he 
entered  Spain,  to  show  how  early  the  difficulty  of  the  undertaking  showed  it 
self.  Napoleon's  answer  exhibits  his  usual  determination  not  to  believe  what 
he  did  not  like. — TR. 


JULY,  1808.  ENCOURAGEMENT  TO  JOSEPH.  335 

to  come  forward.  I  do  not,  however,  deny  that  you  have  a  task, 
but  it  is  a  great  and  a  glorious  task.  Marshal  Bessieres'  victory, 
entirely  defeating  Cuesta  and  the  army  of  the  line  in  Gallicia,  has 
greatly  improved  the  whole  state  of  affairs ;  it  is  worth  more  than 
a  reinforcement  of  80,000  men.  As  General  Dupont .  has  been 
joined  by  the  divisions  of  Gobert  and  Yedel,  the  attack  must  be 
vigorously  pressed  in  that  direction.  General  Dupont  has  good 
troops ;  he  will  succeed.  I  would  rather  that  the  2nd  and  12th 
light  infantry  had  reinforced  Marshal  Bessieres ;  but,  since  you 
have  thought  proper  to  take  them  to  Madrid,  keep  them  for  your 
guard ;  they  will  soon  be  joined  by  2000  conscripts  from  the 
battalions  on  drill ;  and  these  two  fine  regiments,  with  those  of 
your  guard,  will  form,  you  a  splendid  reserve.  You  ought  not  to 
be  surprised  at  having  to  conquer  your  kingdom.  Philip  Y. 
and  Henry  IY.  were  forced  to  conquer  theirs.  Be  happy ;  do 
not  allow  yourself  to  be  so  easily  affected,  and  do  not  doubt 
for  an  instant  that  everything  will  end  sooner  and  more  happily 
than  you  think. 

All  goes  well  at  Saragossa. 


[403.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  July  21,  1808. 

My  Brother, — You  will  find  annexed  some  memoranda  of  the 
state  of  affairs,  which  I  hope  that  you  will  read  with  attention.* 
I  have  traced  out  in  them  the  position  of  Marshal  Bessieres* 
corps,  that  of  the  corps  of  Aragon,  which  is  commanded  by  Gen 
eral  Yerdier,  with  the  simple  title  of  General  of  Division,  and  of 
the  corps  in  Catalonia  under  the  command  of  General  Duhesme, 
also  with  only  the  title  of  General  of  Division.  You  will  see  that 
these  3  corps  compose  a  force  of  60,000  men  present  under  arms. 
You  know  better  than  I  do  the  positions  of  the  troops  on  the 
other  side  of  Madrid,  which  are  composed  of  the  3  divisions  of 
General  Dupont,  the  3  divisions  of  Marshal  Moncey,  and  the  re 
serve  of  the  guard.  The  fall  of  Saragossa  will  alone  restore  to 

*  These  memoranda  do  not  appear, — TR. 


336  SPAIN.— MILITARY  OPERATIONS.  CHAP.  X. 

you  the  services  of  12,000  available  men  out  of  the  18,000  in 
Aragon.  It  is  necessary  that  our  communications  with  Marshal 
Bessieres  should  be  open.  I  have  heard  nothing  of  him  since  the 
16th.  An  active  and  intelligent  general  should  always  be  kept  at 
Burgos. 

I  start  to-night  for  Pau,  where  I  shall  hear  of  your  arrival  at 
Madrid.  I  have  postponed  my  journey  for  two  days,  in  the  hopes 
of  receiving  news  of  what  has  been  done  at  Benevento  and  at 
Leon.  General  Drouet,  who  is  in  command  of  the  llth  military 
division,  is  to  remain  at  Bayonne. 

Take  care  of  your  health.  Be  happy  and  fear  nothing,  and 
never  doubt  complete  success.  Send  back  Tournon  to  me  when 
you  no  longer  want  him. 


[  404.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Pau,  July  28, 1808,  4  A.M. 

My  Brother,* — It  is  you  who  command ;  I  have  already  told 
you  so;  I  will  say  so  in  my  general  orders.  Savary  acknow 
ledges  it  in  his  reports  to  the  Chief  of  the  Staff,  when  he  says 
that  he  shall  not  move  without  your  orders ;  you  might,  there 
fore,  have  spared  yourself  a  page  of  twaddle.  As  it  is,  write  to 
me  constantly  and  in  detail  (which  you  do  not),  and  desire  your 
staff  to  send  their  returns,  and  to  write  every  day  to  the  chief  of 
iny  staff. 

The  military  movements  of  Savary  make  me  shrug  my 
shoulders;  he  makes  nothing  but  false  moves.  Oobert  should 
remain  with  Dupont,  as  he  is  there  already;  Moncey  at  San 
Clemente,  or  in  the  environs ;  and  Dupont  should  be  reinforced. 
I  could  have  wished  Ney's  brigade  to  join  Marshal  Bessieres  on 
the  20th;  but  since  it  is  at  Madrid,  keep  it  for  two  months. 
The  men  are  tired  and  want  rest ;  they  have  just  made  forced 
marches ;  if  you  continue  to  urge  them,  they  will  fall  sick.  I 

*  Joseph  had  complained  that  General  Savary  acted  independently  of  him, 
and  asked  whether  he  or  Savary  held  the  command  of  the  French  armies  in 
Spain.— TR. 


JULY,  1808.  MILITARY  OPERATIONS.  337 

am   anxious  to  have  further  news  of  Bessieres,    I   have  heard 
none  since  the  15th.     Be  well,  and  believe  in  my  friendship. 


£  405.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tarbes,  July  23, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  arrived  at  Tarbes.  I  wrote  to  you 
this  morning  from  Pau.  I  return  the  letters  which  your  courier 
brought  to  me ;  I  have  kept  one  from  Marshal  Jourdan,  con 
taining  nothing  but  military  reports.  I  have  just  received  intel 
ligence  from  Russia,  dated  the  2nd  of  July.  You  are  on  the 
best  terms  with  them.  They  have  obtained  some  advantages 
over  the  Swedes.  Marshal  Bessieres  has  removed  from  Burgos 
the  general  whose  duty  it  was  to  observe  Aranda  and  Vittoria. 
It  is  necsssary,  however,  to  keep  some  one  at  Burgos ;  you  are 
aware  of  its  importance.  Marshal  Bessieres  has  such  a  fine  army 
that  he  can  very  well  spare  a  brigade  to  hold  Burgos. 


[406.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Auch,  July  24, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  arrived  to  day  at  Auch  ;  to-morrow  I  shall 
be  at  Toulouse.  I  send  you  your  courier  from  Naples.  I  have 
opened  all  the  police  and  army  reports,  but  have  found  nothing 
interesting.  The  Queen  is  at  Lyons;  if  you  do  not  think  proper 
that  she  should  go  to  Madrid,  perhaps  you  would  do  well  if  you 
allowed  her  to  come  to  Paris.  In  the  present  state  of  things 
nothing  must  be  done  that  may  oppear  odd.  I  have  not  heard 
of  your  entry  into  Madrid;  your  last  letter  was  dated  the 
19th,  from  Buitrago,  at  11  o'clock  at  night.  Nor  have  I  any 
news  of  Marshal  Bessieres.  I  believe  that  I  have  told  you  to 
keep  an  eye  on  Burgos,  and  to  place  there  a  general  on  whom 
you  can  rely.  The  specie  has  been  despatched  from  Paris  for 
the  second  instalment  of  the  loan.  I  suppose  that  the  Minister 
of  Finance  will  have  executed  the  royal  acknowledgment  of 
that  debt,  and  will  have  taken  steps  to  deposit  the  securities  in 
conformity  with  the  demand  for  them  addressed  by  the  bank  to 
M.  Baguenault. 

VOL.  L— 15 


338  JOSEPH  ENTERS  MADRID,  CHAP.  IX 

£  407-3  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Toulouse,  July  25, 1808. 

My  Brother, — Faudras  brought  me  at  11  at  night  your 
letter  of  the  20th  of  July,  informing  me  of  your  entry  into 
Madrid.  Marshal  Bessieres  writes  from  Benevento,  dated  the 
20th,  that  he  is  about  to  march  upon  Leon.  I  have  just  re 
ceived  from  Santander  intelligence  that  1500  men  from  the 
Asturias,  who  had  arrived  in  that  town,  went  away  on  hearing 
of  Cuesta's  defeat.  The  orderly  officer,  Destourmel,  coming 
from  Marshal  Bessieres,  says  that  he  fell  in  with  one  of  Cuesta's 
columns  near  Benevento.  It  appears  that  Cuesta,  with  a  rem 
nant  of  3000  or  4000  men  was  directing  his  course  towards 
Estremadura.  The  Chief  of  the  Staff  has  ordered  3000  or 
4000  men  to  be  at  Burgos  in  the  beginning  of  August,  to  main 
tain  security  in  your  rear.  As  the  greater  number  of  these  men 
are  conscripts,  they  must  be  drilled,  and  you  must  be  satisfied 
if  they  keep  safe  the  communication  between  Madrid  and  Mar 
shal  Bessieres.  You  should  send  a  general  to  Burgos  to  keep 
watch  over  Vittoria  and  Aranda,  and  to  correspond  with  Madrid, 
and  with  Marshal  Bessieres,  who  will  have  reached  Leon  by  the 
23rd.  You  have  probably  received  letters  from  General  Yer- 
dier,  before  Saragossa.  The  Chief  of  the  Staff  has  sent  you 
word  of  Colonel  P<§pin's  attack  upon  Yilla  Feliche,  near  Daroca, 
by  which  4000  rebels  were  dispersed.  I  hear  from  Saragossa 
that  the  town  will  soon  surrender.  Marshal  Bessieres'  officer 
says  that  Zamora,  Yalladolid,  and  Palencia,  are  tired  of  being 
pillaged  by  both  parties;  and  that  the  priests,  and  even  the 
monks,  are  longing  for  peace.  Colonel  Pe'pin,  who  is  before 
Saragossa,  assures  me  that  all  the  small  towns  and  villages 
through  which  he  has  passed  do  the  same.  I  approve  highly  of  the 
measures  which  you  have  taken  for  reinforcing  General  Dupont. 


[408.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Toulouse,  July  28, 1808. 

My  Brother, — General  Mathieu  Dumas  will  deliver  this  letter 
to  you.  He  is  going  to  join  the  army  of  Spain.  We  must  en 
deavour  to  employ  him  according  to  his  wishes.  The  great 


JULY,  1S08.  SPAIN.— APPOINTMENTS.  339 

thing  is,  that  he  should  be  of  use  to  you.  Your  equerry,  Filan- 
gieri,*  was  sent  to  you  this  morning.  I  shall  be  at  Bordeaux  on 
the  31st.  I  received  this  morning  news  from  Russia  of  the  9th, 
and  letters  from  the  Emperor.  What  has  happened  in  Spain  they 
considered  as  an  old  story,  and  all  was  settled.  Austria  is  seized 
with  a  senseless  panic. 

Marshal  Bessieres  was  due  on  the  23rd  at  Leon.  An  English 
newspaper  says  that  my  squadron  has  been  cannonaded  for  three 
days  by  the  rebels  in  Cadiz,  that  it  has  been  forced  to  strike, 
and  that  it  is  in  the  harbour  of  Cadiz.  This  is  an  English  re 
port.  All  seems  to  prosper  about  Lisbon.  I  hope  that  General 
Dupont  made  no  further  delay  after  he  heard  of  Marshal  Bes 
sieres'  victory.  Bessieres  seems  to  have  found  a  great  quantity 
of  muskets,  cartridges,  and  powder,  at  Benevento. 

I  have  appointed  Marshal  Perignon  Governor  of  Naples  and 
Commandant  of  my  army.  The  Grand  Dukef  is  still  very  ill. 
I  am  well  pleased  with  the  spirit  of  that  country.  Dessolles 
asked  me  when  I  was  at  Auch  for  employment  in  Spain ;  he  is 
going  thither.  The  Queen J  has  written  to  me  from  Lyons;  I 
suppose  that  in  your  next  letter  you  will  mention  her.  I  think 
that  she  had  better  spend  the  remainder  of  the  summer  in  Paris, 
it  is  too  hot  for  her  in  Spain  at  this  season.  However,  I  wait  your 
decision. 


[  409.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Agen,  July  30, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  23rd. 
The  Chief  of  the  Staff  has  received  letters  written  on  the  morning 
of  the  same  day  from  Marshal  Bessieres,  which  announce  that 
there  exists  no  longer  a  hostile  army  in  Castile ;  that  Cuesta, 
with  500  horse,  was  directing  his  course  towards  Toro ;  and  that 
his  place  of  retreat,  as  the  Marshal  was  almost  sure,  is  Badajoz, 
in  Estremadura ;  that  the  city  and  province  of  Leon  and  Zamora 
have  submitted.  Bessi6res  intended  to  rest  on  the  25th  and  26th 

*  The  late  Viceroy  of  Sicily.— ED.  t  Murat 

$  Joseph's  wife. — TR. 


340  SPAIN.— MILITARY  OPERATIONS.  CHAP.  X. 

at  Leon,  and  then  to  march  upon  Gallicia.  General  Dessolles 
has  received  his  appointment  to  the  army  of  Spain ;  he  proceeds 
to  Burgos.  The  Chief  of  the  Staff  will  inform  you  of  the  orders 
which  he  receives.  General  Dessolles,  when  he  reaches  Burgos, 
will  have  from  5000  to  6000  men.  500  horse  of  the  26th  regiment, 
and  500  Polish  light-horse  belonging  to  my  guard,  are  march 
ing  on  Burgos.  It  is  inconceivable  that,  after  reaching  San  Cle- 
mente,  Marshal  Moncey  should  have  retired  upon  Ocana.*  The 
conduct  of  this  officer  is  extraordinary.  His  movement  has  been 
unfavourable  to  all  parties,  but  especially  to  General  Dupont, 
since  the  provinces  of  Murcia  and  of  Valencia  cease  to  be  menaced. 
It  appears  that  General  Dupont  has  already  20,000  men ;  if  he 
has  committed  no  mistake,  with  such  a  force  he  has  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  enemy.  I  have  received  intelligence  from  Sara- 
gossa  of  nearly  the  same  date  with  that  from  Marshal  Bessieres, 
and  equally  satisfactory.  General  Mathieu  Dumas  must  have 
joined  you.  It  is  very  hot  here.  I  am  well  pleased  with  the 
spirit  of  these  provinces,  I  shall  be  at  Rochefort  on  the  3rd, 
and  probably  on  the  7th  or  8th  at  Nantes. 

[  410.]  JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

Madrid,  July  22, 1808. 

Sire, — If  your  Majesty  would  write  to  General  Caulain- 
court  that  you  are  informed  that  in  cold  blood  he  arranged  the 
pillage  of  the  churches  and  houses  in  Cuenza,  it  might  do  much 
good.  I  know  that  the  public  sale  in  Madrid  of  the  church 
plate  has  done  much  harm.  Every  sensible  person  in  the  Gov 
ernment  and  in  the  army  says  that  a  defeat  would  have  been  less 
injurious. 

[  411.]  JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

Madrid,  July  23, 1808. 

Sire, — Marshal  Moncey  has  arrived.  He  found  everything 
hostile  on  his  march.  He  complains  bitterly  that  the  pillage  by 

*  Subsequent  events  showed  that  Moncey's  retreat  to  Madrid  was  pru 
dent.  Had  he  remained  in  Aragon  he  might  have  shared  the  fate  of 
Dupont. 


JULY,  1808.  PLUNDER  OF  TOWNS.  341 

General  Caulaincourt  has  increased  the  general  exasperation. 
Since  Cuenza  was  plundered  many  of  the  wealthier  families  fly 
with  their  property. 


[412.]  JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

Madrid,  July  24, 1808. 

Sire, — The  honest  people  are  as  little  on  my  side  as  the 
rogues  are.  No,  Sire,  you  are  deceived.  Your  glory  will  be 
shipwrecked  in  Spain.  My  tomb  will  be  a  monument  of  your  want 
of  power  to  support  me,  for  no  one  will  suspect  you  of  want  of 
will.  This  will  happen,  for  I  am  resolved  under  no  circum 
stances  to  recross  the  Ebro. 

Yet  50,000  good  troops,  and  50  millions,  sent  before  the  end 
of  three  months,  might  set  things  right.  The  recall  of  five  or 
six  of  your  generals ;  sending  hither  Jourdan  and  Maurice 
Mathieu,  who  are  honest  men ;  on  your  part,  absolute  confidence 
in  me ;  on  my  part,  absolute  power  over  the  officers  who  miscon 
duct  themselves, — the  union  of  all  this  alone  can  save  the  country 
and  the  army.* 

[413.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bordeaux,  July  31, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  24th,  25th, 
and  26th.  The  style  of  your  letter  of  the  24th  does  not  please 
me.  To  die  is  not  your  business,  but  to  live  and  to  conquer, 
which  you  are  doing,  and  shall  do. 

I  shall  find  in  Spain  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  but  not  the 
limits  of  my  power. 

Troops  and  succours  of  every  description  are  on  their  way 
towards  you.  Your  forces  are  more  by  one-third  than  are 
necessary,  if  they  are  well  managed.  Excepting  the  prepos 
terous  retreat  of  Moncey  from  San  Clemente  upon  Ocana,  and 

*  These  letters  are  inserted  to  explain  the  answer  to  them.  At  the  date 
of  the  last  Joseph  had  been  less  than  a  fortnight  in  Spain,  and  only  four  days 
in  Madrid.  Neither  he  nor  Napoleon  knew  of  the  surrender  of  Dupont  at 
Baylen. 


342  SPAIN.— PLUNDEK  DEFENDED.  CHAP.  X 

his  deplorable  council  of  war,  I  am  well   contented  with  my 
troops. 

Savary  is  a>  man  of  intelligence  and  of  courage,  who  has  erred 
in  his  general  arrangements  because  he  has  not  been  used  to 
command-in-chief,  but  who,  nevertheless,  is  stronger  than  any  of 
those  whom  you  have  about  you.  Caulaincourt  did  what  was 
perfectly  right  at  Cuenza.  The  city  was  pillaged  :  this  is  one  of 
the  rights  of  war,  since  it  was  captured  while  the  defenders  were 
still  in  arms.  Russia  has  recognised  you ;  the  letter  announcing 
it  has  been  despatched  to  Count  Strogonoff.  On  reaching  Paris 
I  shall  learn  that  Austria  has  done  the  same.  Your  position 
may  be  painful  as  king,  but,  as  a  general,  it  is  brilliant.  There 
is  only  one  thing  to  fear :  take  care  not  to  impair  the  spirit 
of  the  army — not  to  sacrifice  it  to  the  Spaniards.  No  measures 
are  to  be  kept  with  ruffians  who  assassinate  our  wounded,  and 
commit  every  kind  of  horror ;  the  way  in  which  they  are  treated 
is  quite  right.  I  have  told  you  already,  and  I  repeat  it,  since 
the  glorious  victory  of  Medina  de  Rio  Seco,  which  so  promptly 
settled  the  question  of  Spain,  Marshal  Bessieres  is  absolute 
master  of  the  North.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  have  not  sent 
Morlot's  division  to  Marshal  Bessieres,  as  was  suggested.  You 
must  support  Dupont.  Make  yourself  easy  as  to  the  result.  I 
am  not  surprised  at  what  has  happened ;  if  I  had  not  expected  it, 
should  I  have  sent  150,000  men  into  Spain,  and  raised  two  con 
scriptions,  and  spent  80  millions  ?  I  would  rather  have  lost  a 
battle  than  have  had  to  read  Moncey's  report.  My  health  is 
good.  I  reached  Bordeaux  this  morning.  I  am  going  to  Roche- 
fort. 

[414.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bordeaux,  Aug.  1, 1808. 

My   Brother, — I   have   received   your   letter  of  the  27th.* 
The  report  of  the  officer  of  cuirassiers  is  enough  to  make  me 

*  Neither  Joseph  when  he  wrote  this  letter,  nor  Napoleon  when  he  re 
ceived  it,  knew  of  the  surrender  of  Dupont.  But  Joseph  had  stated,  on  the 
authority  of  an  officer  of  cuirassiers,  that  General  Cobert  had  been  killed,  that 
there  had  been  fighting  for  some  days,  and  that  his  communication  with  Du 
pont  was  cut  off. — TK. 


,  1808.  STATE  OF  THE  AEMY.  343 

forebode  evil  from  General  Dupont's  mistakes.  To  be  attacked 
on  the  13th,  and  not  have  provided  for  his  retreat  on  the  18th  ! 
— this  is  inconceivable.  Whatever  reverses  fortune  may  have 
in  store  for  you,  do  not  be  uneasy ;  in  a  short  time  you  will  have 
more  than  100,000  men.  All  is  in  motion,  but  it  must  have 
time.  You  will  reign ;  you  will  have  conquered  your  subjects, 
in  order  to  become  their  father.  The  best  kings  have  passed 
through  this  school.  My  orders  were  given  more  than  three 
weeks  ago.  Health  to  you,  and  happiness;  that  is  to  say, 
strength  of  mind. 


[  415.]  JOSEPH  TO  .NAPOLEON. 

St.  Augustin,  Aug.  1, 1808.* 

Sire, — I  reached  this  place  at  noon  yesterday  with  the  whole 
of  the  army.  The  rearguard  will  sleep  at  Alcovendas,  which  it 
will  leave  at  2  to-morrow  morning.  The  soldiers  are  generally 
worn  out,  the  officers  are  not  strong,  the  men  are  young  and  raw. 
I  think  that  your  Majesty  had  better  incorporate  the  privates  in 
your  old  regiments  and  send  back  the  officers  to  their  depots. 
In  fact,  with  the  exception  of  the  old  regiments  of  the  guard, 
they  are  evidently  a  collection  of  youths  who  are  not  yet  soldiers. 
Every  officer  going  from  Spain  will  tell  the  same  story  to  your 
Majesty. 

I  am  waiting  for  news  of  the  enemy,  and  of  Marshal  Bes- 
sieres,  before  I  decide  to  raise  the  siege  of  Saragossa,  which  I 
defer  to  the  last  extremity.  The  materiel  of  the  artillery  is  in 
the  worst  state  possible ;  the  whole  must  be  renewed  if  we  are  to 
move  forward.  And  your  Majesty  must  adopt  a  vigorous  and 
consistent  system.  Veterans  must  be  opposed  to  the  swarms  of 
new  soldiers  which  will  start  up  on  all  sides,  who  will  be  sup 
ported  by  enthusiasm,  and  will  fight  in  their  own  country.  The 

*  Joseph  left  Madrid  on  the  29th  of  July,  having  on  the  28th  received  the 
news  of  Dupont's  capitulation.  He  had  inhabited  his  capital  for  only  eight 
days.  He  retired  to  Miranda,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ebro,  between  Burgos 
and  Vittoria. — TK. 


344  BAYLEN.  CHAP.  X. 

conscripts  of  the  last  levy  are  too  young  :  they  are  tired  out  be 
fore  they  arrive,  and  the  climate  finishes  them.* 


[416.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bordeaux,  Aug.  3, 1808. 

You  cannot  think,  my  friend,  what  pain  it  gives  me  to  think 
that  you  are  struggling  with  events  which  are  as  much  above 
what  you  are  accustomed  to  as  they  are  beneath  your  natural 
character.  Dupont  has  dishonoured  our  flag.  What  incapacity, 
what  cowardice !  Those  troops  will  be  taken  by  the  English. 
Events  of  such  importance  make  it  necessary  for  me  to  return  to 
Paris.  G-ermany,  Poland,  Italy,  &c.,  all  depend  on  one  another. 
I  am  really  grieved  when  I  feet  that  I  cannot  be  with  you  and 
my  soldiers  at  this  juncture.  I  have  ordered  Ney  to  proceed 
thither.  He  is  an  excellent  man,  full  of  zeal  and  courage.  If 
you  become  intimate  with  him,  he  may  make  a  good  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army.  You  will  have  100,000  men,  and  in  the 
autumn  Spain  will  be  conquered. 

If  Savary  were  to  make  an  armistice,  we  might  obtain  some 
influence  over  the  insurgents  :  we  might  hear  what  they  have  to 
say.  I  think  that,  as  far  as  your  own  inclinations  are  concerned, 
you  care  little  to  reign  over  the  Spaniards.  My  health  is  better 
than  ever.  I  have  told  Maret  to  send  you  a  cipher  for  secret 
correspondence,  Berthier  sends  you  some  memoranda  on  the 
state  of  the  army  in  Spain. f 

Tell  me  that  you  are  well  and  in  good  spirits,  and  are  be 
coming  accustomed  to  the  soldier's  trade.  You  have  a  fine 
opportunity  to  study  it.  I  have  written  to  tell  the  Queen  to  go 
to  Paris. 

[417.]  BERTHIER  TO  SAVARY. 

Bordeaux,  Aug.  3,  1803. 

What  has  happened  to  Dupont  is  without  an  example,  and 
his  capitulation  is  worthy  of  the  conduct  that  led  to  it.  The 

*  I  have  inserted  the  preceding  letter  of  Joseph's  to  show  what  was  the 
state,  after  fifteen  years  of  constant  war,  of  an  army  of  Napoleon's. — TK. 
t  This  refers  to  the  next  letter. — TR. 


ATJG.  180S.  SPAIN.— ARMISTICE  SUGGESTED.  345 

Emperor  thinks  that,  if  the  troops  in  echelons  in  the  line  of  com 
munication  between  you  and  Dupont  have  been  allowed  to  march 
to  give  themselves  up  to  the  English,  the  vagueness  of  the  terms 
of  the  capitulation  has  not  been  remarked.  I  say  "  to  the  Eng 
lish,"  for  it  cannot  be  hoped  that  they  will  be  honest  enough  to 
let  our  troops  cross  the  sea.  From  your  silence  we  hope  that  you 
have  withdrawn  these  troops  to  Madrid.  On  reading  carefully 
General  Dupont's  report,  it  appears  that  he  did  not  capitulate 
until  the  day  after  the  battle,  and  that  the  corps  of  Generals 
Vedel  and  Dufour,  which  are  comprised,  we  know  not  why,  in 
the  capitulation,  were  not  engaged.  Dupont's  own  story  shows 
that  Castanos  was  not  nearly  so  strong  as  he  is  reported  to  have 
been,  and  that  he  had  collected  his  whole  force  at  Baylen.  The 
Emperor  does  not  estimate  his  troops  of  the  line  at  more  than 
15,000,  or  his  armed  peasants  at  more  than  the  same  number. 

From  Belliard's  letter  it  seems  that  orders  have  been  given 
to  raise  the  siege  of  Saragossa. 

This  is  premature. 

You  must  see  that,  unless  there  be  an  army  to  cover  Pampe- 
luna  and  keep  down  Navarre,  the  enemy  might  mask  Pampeluna, 
raise  Navarre,  cut  off  the  communication  with  France  by  Tolosa, 
and  be  on  the  rear  of  our  army.  Supposing  the  enemy  to  be 
collected  before  Pampeluna,  and  the  town  blockaded,  he  might 
in  five  or  six  marches  be  in  the  rear  of  Burgos.  The  army 
which  besieges  Saragossa  is  therefore  necessary  to  keep  down 
Navarre,  and  to  prevent  the  insurgents  of  Aragon  and  Valencia 
from  penetrating  on  our  left.  For  if,  as  General  Belliard  tells 
us,  General  Verdier  marches  his  troops  to  Logrono,  throwing 
2000  men  into  Pampeluna,  he  would  be  worse  placed  at  Logrono 
than  at  Tudela,  if  the  communication  with  Bayonne  were  inter 
cepted. 

If  Castanos  advances,  and  you  fight  him,  the  best  may  be 
hoped ;  but  the  manner  in  which  he  moved  towards  Dupont  leads 
us  to  expect  from  him  great  caution. 

Perhaps  by  means  of  flags  of  truce,  a  suspension  of  arms 
might  be  agreed  on,  without  the  King's  apparent  interference, 
terminable  on  eight  days'  notice  by  either  party,  giving  to  the 

VOL.  I.— 15* 


346  MAECH  OF  THE  GEAND  AEMT.  CHAP.  X. 

French  the  line  of  the  Douro,  and  then,  passing  by  Almazan,  the 
Ebro.  The  insurgents  might  think  such  an  armistice  desirable, 
as  it  would  enable  them  to  organise  themselves  in  Madrid,  and  it 
might  not  be  unfavorable  to  us,  as  it  would  enable  us  to  see  what 
that  organisation  would  be,  and  to  ascertain  what  the  nation 
really  wishes.* 

[418.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bocbefort,  Aug.  6, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  30th  of 
July.  The  Grand  Army  is  on  its  way  to  you.  This  reinforce 
ment,  joined  to  Marshal  Bessieres'  forces,  will  enable  you  to  show 
your  teeth.  I  will  write  to  you  more  at  length  when  I  know  that 
you  have  received  your  cipher.  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  that  you 
have  shown  decision  and  ability. 

I  shall  be  in  Paris  in  a  few  days 


[419.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Niort,  Aug.  9,  1S08. 

My  Brother, — Your  letter  of  the  3rd  of  August  has  reached 
me.  I  send  to  you  a  letter  which  I  have  just  received  from 
Marshal  Jourdan.  I  am  extremely  pleased  with  the  spirit  of  the 
department  of  La  Vendee,  through  which  I  have  just  passed.  I 
can  only  repeat  to  you  once  for  all,  that  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
Grand  Army  is  on  its  way,  and  that  before  the  autumn  Spain 
will  be  inundated  with  troops.  You  must  try  to  preserve  the 
line  of  the  Douro,  to  keep  up  the  communication  with  Portugal. 
The  English  are  of  little  importance ;  they  have  never  more  than 
a  quarter  of  the  troops  that  they  profess  to  have.  Lord  Wellesley 
has  not  4000  men,  and,  besides,  I  believe  that  they  are  directed 
towards  Portugal. f 

*  This  proposal  of  an  armistice,  giving  up  to  the  insurgents  all  Spain  to 
the  south  of  the  Douro  and  the  Ebro,  that  is  to  say,  four-fifths  of  the  country, 
for  the  avowed  purpose  of  allowing  them  to  organise  themselves  in  Madrid, 
and  of  ascertaining  the  wishes  of  the  Spanish  nation,  contrasts  strangely  with 
the  general  tone  of  Napoleon's  correspondence.  It  seems  to  show  that  he  did 
not  really  feel  the  confidence  of  success  which  he  expresses  in  his  letters  to 
Joseph.— TR. 

t  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  landed  in  Portugal  on  the  1st  of  August. — TR. 


Aro.  1808.  MISMANAGEMENT  IN  SPAIN.  347 


CHAPTEE  XL 

THE  letters  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  16th  of  August  to 
the  12th  of  October,  1808 ;  that  is  to  say,  from  the  arrival  of 
Napoleon  at  St.  Cloud  until  his  return  to  Bayonne. 

His  principal  business  during  these  two  months  was  the  re 
moval  of  the  grand  army  from  Germany  to  Spain.  For  this 
purpose  it  was  necessary  to  be  sure  of  Russia.  Busy  as  he  was, 
he  gave  up  a  month  to  a  meeting  with  Alexander  at  Erfurth, 
and  purchased  his  acquiescence  by  completing  the  sacrifice  of 
Sweden  and  Turkey  to  Russia. 


[420.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  16, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  seen  Messrs.  Azanza  and  Urquijo.  I 
have  not  learnt  much  from  them  :  they  wait  in  this  place  to  see 
what  turn  the  Spanish  affairs  will  take.  I  have  desired  them  to 
write  to  you  in  detail. 


[421.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  16, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  10th.  All 
that  goes  on  in  Spain  is  deplorable.  The  army  seems  to  be  com 
manded,  not  by  generals  or  soldiers,  but  by  postmasters.  How 
was  it  possible  to  think  of  evacuating  Spain  for  no  reason,  with 
out  even  knowing  what  the  enemy  was  about  ?  For  it  appears 


'348  SPAm-— JOSEPH'S  RETKEAT.  CHAP.  XL 

from  the  reports  of  the  8th  that  it  was  not  known  at  Burgos  on 
the  10th  whether  General  Castanos  had  effected  his  entry  into 
Madrid.  In  all  that  has  been  done  there  are  not  the  first  rudi 
ments  of  the  knowledge  of  war.  I  hope  that  Marshal  Bessieres 
has  advised  you  not  to  evacuate  in  this  way  the  whole  country, 
without  coming  within  sight  of  the  enemy.  They  tell  me  that 
Saragossa  would  certainly  have  been  taken  if  it  had  not  been  that 
General  Belliard  gave  orders  to  raise  the  siege,  and  that  then, 
after  a  lapse  of  48  hours,  during  which  they  laboured  at  the 
evacuation  of  the  works,  and  at  using  up  the  ammunition,  the 
order  arrived  to  go  on  with  the  siege.  On  the  10th  the  enemy 
did  not  seem  to  have  more  than  5000  or  6000  men  round  Sara 
gossa,  which  is  very  different  from  40,000.  In  your  position  one 
gees  enemies  everywhere,  and  sees  them  immensely  strong.  Your 
army,  organised  as  it  is,  is  capable  of  beating  all  the  insurgents ; 
but  it  wants  a  head.  The  country  which  suits  your  army  is  a 
flat  country ;  and  you  have  entangled  yourself  in  a  mountainous 
one,  without  reason  or  necessity.  In  so  precipitate  a  retreat,  how 
many  things  must  have  been  lost  or  forgotten  !  The  army  retir 
ing  in  this  manner  cannot  but  have  been  exceedingly  demoralized. 
I  hope  that  you  will  not  evacuate  Burgos ;  from  whatever  side 
the  enemy  may  advance,  you  will  have  a  fine  opportunity  of  beat 
ing  him.  With  the  corps  of  Marshal  Bessieres  you  have  enough 
to  beat  the  insurgents ;  and  when  you  hear  of  the  movements  of 
the  army  of  General  Castanos,  you  will  reflect  on  your  own  with 
astonishment.  The  troops  before  Saragossa  are  no  doubt  in 
danger.  I  cannot  conceive  by  what  fatality,  having  no  longer 
any  hope  of  taking  the  town,  they  remain  in  such  a  false  position. 
If  they  go  on  so,  I  fear  that  sooner  or  later  they  will  meet  with 
some  great  misfortune. 


f  422.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Aug.  23, 1803. 

My  Brother, — Enclosed  are  some  letters  which  I  send  you 
for  your  guidance. 

P.g. — There  is  too  much  prudence  among  the  people  around 
you.  Attack  the  enemy ;  do  not  let  him  attack  you. 


AUG.  1803.  JOSEPH'S  KESIGNATION.  349 

[423.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  27, 1808. 

My  Brother, — The  northern  courts  have  acknowledged  you. 
10,000  men  of  the  grand  army  have  reached  Mayence.  By  the 
month  of  January  you  will  have  100,000,  and  there  will  not  be 
in  all  Spain  one  village  in  insurrection.  Send  the  Duke  of  Frias 
as  your  ambassador  to  Paris ;  I  will  receive  him  with  the  utmost 
ceremony.  Send  letters  of  credence  to  Pardo  at  St.  Petersburg; 
the  Emperor  of  Russia  desires  it  much.  Send  a  grandee  of 
Spain  to  Paris,  on  his  way  as  ambassador  to  Vienna ;  he  will 
wait  to  receive  my  orders  before  he  starts.  Appoint  a  minister 
in  Denmark.  Do  not  be  in  the  least  uneasy.  I  have  received 
your  letter  of  the  9th  from  Burgos,  and  a  duplicate.* 


[  424.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Aug.  31, 1808,  4  A.M. 

My  Brother, — I  wish  you  to  order  the  chief  of  the  staff, 
Marshal  Jourdan,  to  send  to  me  every  five  days  a  return  of  the 
army  of  Spain,  and  to  write  to  me  every  day  three  or  four  pages 
describing  all  that  goes  on.  Since  Jourdan  has  replaced  Bel- 
Hard  I  know  nothing  of  the  army.  I  have  not  had  one  return 
since  July.  Attend  to  this  order,  and  see  that  it  be  executed. 


•[  425.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  1, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  sent  you  word  that  a  Spanish  minister 
ought  to  be  sent  to  Paris.  M.  de  Frias  is  very  fit  for  this 
mission.  I  will  not  have  M.  de  Mazaredo.  I  want  a  man  of 

*  In  that  letter  Joseph  expressed  his  conviction  that  the  Spaniards  would 
never  be  reconciled  to  his  rule,  or  forgive  the  injuries  which  had  been  inflicted 
on  them  by  France ;  that  it  was  necessary  to  conquer  Spain,  and  then  to  par 
tition  it,  uniting  Gallicia  to  Portugal  and  the  provinces  on  the  north  of  the 
Ebro  to  France  ;  that  he  could  not  submit  to  reign  over  the  remaining  rem 
nant  :  and  therefore  implored  to  be  allowed  to  abandon  Spain  and  to  return  to 
Naples.  This  was  the  only  answer  given  to  it  by  Napoleon. — TR. 


350  SPAIN.— THE  AEMY.  CIIAP.  XL 

high  birth,  and  favourable  to  the  existing  system.     Send  M.  do 
Frias  as  soon  as  possible. 


[  426.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept.  1, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  a  memorandum  on  the  return 
of  your  army  of  Spain,  which  proves  that  at  your  head 
quarters  nothing  is  known  upon  the  subject.  You  will  also  find 
annexed  a  statement  of  the  corps  which  are  in  Spain  at  the 
present  moment,  without  counting  those  in  Catalonia.  Order 
a  return  of  the  places  where  the  different  detachments  are 
to  be  found,  and  collect  them  together.  Frere's  division  is 
composed  of  3  battalions  of  the  2nd  legion  of  reserve;  the 
4th  battalion  is  with  the  corps  of  Marshal  Bessieres,  forming 
part  of  the  supplementary  regiments.  It  should  be  united  to 
the  first  battalions.  The  5th  battalion  is  at  Bayonne ;  you 
should  recall  it.  In  this  manner  Frere's  division  will  have 
5  battalions,  forming  4000  men,  all  belonging  to  the  same 
legion,  which  is  always  an  advantage,  both  for  keeping  the 
accounts  and  for  the  general  good  of  the  corps.  As  a  general 
rule,  endeavour  to  unite  every  corps,  and  to  call  in  every 
detachment.  There  is  great  need  of  your  attention  to  re 
organize  the  army.  I  advise  you  to  take  care  that  they  send 
you  returns  every  five  days,  that  you  may  see  what  progress  is 
made. 

[  427.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud.  Sept  7,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  1st  of 
September.  It  is  unfortunate  that  Marshal  Moncey  per 
mitted  the  escape  of  the  army  of  Montijo,  as  it  was  a  collec 
tion  of  bad  troops,  on  whom  he  should  have  executed  speedy 
justice.  I  suppose  that  you  have  given  orders  to  fortify 
Tudela,  and  to  establish  redoubts  upon  the  heights  which  com 
mand  the  line  of  operations  towards  Pampeluna.  To  neglect 
this  would  be  to  undervalue  the  importance  in  every  respect  of 
Pampeluna. 

The  evacuation  of  Tudela  was  a  misfortune,  since  it  fatigued 


SEPT.  1808.  EVACUATION  OF  TUDELA.  35 J 

the  army  unnecessarily.  You  know  how  deeply  I  am  grieved 
at  what  goes  on  in  Spain ;  but  an  interview  which  I  am  to 
have  with  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  which  is  fixed  for  the 
26th,  obliges  me  to  start  for  Saxony  in  eight  or  ten  days.  The 
chief  of  the  staff  sends  you  the  organization  of  the  army  of 
Spain,  which  I  have  divided  into  6  large  corps.  If  at  the 
commencement  of  the  compaign  the  enemy  stands  before  you, 
you  should  strike  the  first  blow ;  for  it  is  to  be  feared  that  on 
the  arrival  of  the  Grand  Army  he  may  retire  to  Santander, 
and,  scouring  the  country,* You  must  begin * 


[  428.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept  8,  It,08. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  3rd  of  Sep 
tember.  I  do  not  approve  of  your  sending  Prince  Mazerano  to 
Vienna.  It  is  a  strange  policy  to  send  into  Austria,  as  ambassa 
dor,  a  man  who  will  endeavour  to  do  mischief  both  to  you  and  to 
me.  You  should  take  one  of  the  Negretes,  or  the  son  of  your 
minister  for  foreign  affairs,  or  some  man  in  a  similar  position, 
whose  fortunes  are  intimately  connected  with  your  own ;  or  else 
you  should  send  no  one  at  all.  You  should  order  the  five  or  six 
persons  arrested  at  Bilbao  by  General  Merlin  to  be  shot,  es 
pecially  the  man  who  was  designated  as  commander-in-chief  by 
the  proclamation  of  the  Junta.  If  you  do  not  perform  some  acts 
of  rigour,  these  disturbances  will  never  end.  This  appears  to 
me  to  be  very  important.  It  is  very  strange  that  Navarre  is  so 
spared.  Bilbao,  Biscay,  and  Navarre  ought  to  feed  the  army : 
if  they  do  not,  what  am  I  to  do  ? 


[429.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St  Cloud,  Sept.  9, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  think  that  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  reduce 

,t  by  means  of  an  expedition  of  6000  men.     This  force, 

forming  a  column  which  should  start  from  Bilbao,  will  be  suf- 

*  Illegible.— ED. 

f  Illegible.     Supposed  to  be  Santander  or  Valmaseda. — ED. 


SPAIN.— SEVEEITT  NECESSARY.  CHAP.  XL 

ficient.  This  point  is  of  importance,  as  entailing  the  submission 
of  Montana,  an  object  which  it  is  indispensable  to  attain  before 
the  larger  operations  of  the  army.  I  suppose  that  Marshal 
Moncey  remains  at  Tudela;  with  the  troops  that  are  already 
under  his  command,  he  has  double  the  force  necessary  to  keep 
that  position.  I  presume  that  he  will  not  let  the  enemy  establish 
himself  within  three  marches.  You  have  doubtless  also  occupied 
Burgos  in  force.  You  should  leave  at  Bilbao  the  new  troops 
which  are  there ;  they  are  sufficient.  Above  all  you  should 
accomplish  the  disarming  of  the  whole  of  Biscay  and  Navarre. 
I  strongly  advise  you  to  make  a  severe  example  of  the  insur 
gents  of  Bilbao,  especially  of  the  commander  of  the  armed  force, 
who  has  been  arrested,  and  to  send  several  hostages  into  France. 
I  review  to-morrow  the  division  of  Sebastiani,  which  will  start  on 
Monday  for  Perpignan.  It  is  composed  of  12  field-pieces  and 
of  4  regiments.  The  roads  of  France  are  covered  with  troops, 
coming  either  from  Italy  or  from  Germany.  You  should  make 
the  inhabitants  grind  for  you,  and  not  always  draw  your  flour 
from  France.  The  provinces  which  you  occupy  can  and  must 
furnish  you  with  provisions.  The  Spaniards  recall  to  me  the 
Arabs;  at  Burgos  and  elsewhere  they  appear  well-disposed 
towards  you,  because  they  see  that  you  have  many  troops,  and 
that  you  are  able  to  crush  them ;  but  on  your  first  retrograde 
movement  they  will  fire  upon  you.  You  should  take  hostages, 
and  force  them  to  disarm.  Do  not  listen  to  your  ministers,  they 
do  not  seem  to  have  two  ideas.  This  fatal  system  of  indulgence 
has  lost  us  Spain.  You  might  have  disarmed  all  the  infantry, 
dismounted  the  cavalry,  and  made  prisoners  of  the  whole  Spanish 
army.  Madrid  furnished  the  enemy's  army  with  2000  horses ; 
when  Madrid  was  abandoned  they  might  have  been  seized  to  re 
mount  the  French  regiments.  Of  course  the  colonial  merchan 
dise  coming  from  England  ought  to  be  confiscated  at  Santander. 
This  town  ought  to  pay  at  least  2,000,000  fr.  If  you  think  that 
you  owe  the  allegiance  of  these  provinces  to  their  affection,  you 
deceive  yourself ;  if  they  do  not  revolt,  it  is  not  from  want  of 
inclination,  it  is  because  they  dare  not :  of  this  you  may  be  quite 
sure.  You  have  received  the  decree  for  the  general  organiza- 


SEPT.  1808.  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  AEMY.  353 

tion  of  the  army  of  Spain.     For  the  present  you  must  conform 
to  it  as  far  as  may  be  possible. 


DECREE,  DATED  SEPTEMBER  7, 1808. 

ls^  Corps, — Marshal  Victor,  Commander. 

3  divisions  of  infantry,  Generals  Villati,  Ruffin,  and  Lapisse; 
1  of  cavalry,  General  Beaumont.  [Estimated  by  editor  at 
22,000  men.] 

2nd  Corps, — Marshal  Soult. 

3  divisions  of  infantry,  Generals  Meulon,  Merle,  and  Bon 
net  ;  1  of  cavalry,  General  Lasalle. — 26,000  men. 

3rd  Corps, — Marshal  Moncey. 

3  divisions  of  infantry,  Generals  Musnier,  Merle,  and  Bon 
net  ;  1  cavalry. — 20,000  men. 

4th  Corps, — Marshal  Lefebvre. 

1  French  division,  General  Sebastiani;  1  troops  of  the 
Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  General  Leval;  1  Poles, 
General  Valence ;  1  brigade  Dutch  infantry ;  1  brigade 
Westphalian  infantry ;  3  regiments  of  cavalry. — 25,500 
men. 

6th  Corps,  in  Catalonia, — General  Saint  Cyr,  Commander. 

5  divisions  of  infantry,  Generals  Chabran,  Souham,  Lecchi, 
Pinot,  and  Chabot ;  1  of  cavalry.  [Force  not  stated,  es 
timated  by  editor  at  32,000  men,  including  Duhesme's 
division  at  Barcelona.] 

6th  Corps, — Marshal  Ney. 

3  divisions  of  infantry,  Generals  Marchand,  Lagrange,  and 
Mermet ;  1  division  of  troops  from  the  Vistula ;  and  1  of 
cavalry. — 27,200  men. 


854  PLAN  F0R  THE  ORGANIZATION  CHAP.  XI. 

Reserve, — Marshal  Bessieres. 

1  division  of  infantry,  General  Dessolles ;  6  battalions  of 
fusileers,  and  6  of  grenadiers  and  chasseurs  of  the  Impe 
rial  guard ;  the  cavalry  of  the  guard  ;  and  4  divisions  of 
dragoons. — 34,000  men. 

Total— 186,700. 

[430.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  14, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  sent  you  word  that  Generals  Maurice  and 
Salligny  were  to  replace  Lefebvre  and  Frere.  I  send  to  you  a 
plan  for  the  organization  of  the  army  of  Spain,  such  as  it  should 
be.  I  wish  you  to  be  acquainted  with  the  whole  of  it  in  order 
that  you  may  conform  to  it  as  much  as  possible. 

THE   PLAN    REFERRED    TO   BY    THE   PREVIOUS   LETTER. 

St.  Cloud,  Sept.  15, 1808.* 

First  observation : — 

The  position  of  the  army  of  Spain  for  purposes  of  offence  is 

essentially  bad. 
This  paper  should  not  be  com-         The  position  of  the  Ebro  and  the  im- 

ESSfATy?"* on  portant  d6bouch6  of  Burgos  are  tenable 

Orders  should  be  sent  to  them,     only  while  Tudela  is  occupied. 

not  reasonings.  The  King  may  -rn  m     i   i    ••  -IT  ii 

study  it,    and   discuss  it    with  If  Tudela  1S  not  OCCUpied   by  US,   the 

some  of  the  officers  about  him.       enemy,  seeing  our  mistake,  will  occupy 
it,  if  he  has  the  means.     By  moving  to 

Estella  he  would  be  eight  marches  in  our  rear  in  a  country  of 
mountains  and  defiles. 

Tudela  then  must  be  occupied.  It  is  not  probable  that  the 
enemy,  who  seems  to  have  no  plans  and  no  great  force,  has  at- 

*  This  paper,  though,  called  by  Napoleon  a  projet  d'organisation,  is  in  fact 
a  criticism  on  the  existing  position  of  the  army  and  a  scheme  for  its  future 
operations  in  different  contingencies.  The  organisation  of  the  army  was  pro 
vided  for  by  the  decree  of  the  7th  of  September. — TR. 


SEPT.  1808.  OP  THE  AKMT  OF  SPAIN.  355 

tempted  to  return  to  it.  It  must  be  occupied  offensively  with 
from  16,000  to  18,000  men;  three-fourths  posted  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Ebro,  the  other  fourth  on  the  left. 

Sixty  thousands  Spaniards,  even  regular  troops,  could  not 
force  such  an  army,  so  encamped  and  hutted ;  and  the  commander 
at  Tudela,  if  he  thought  it  unadvisable  to  fight,  might  in  two 
hours  be  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and  retreat  from  position 
to  position  till  he  reached  our  entrenched  camp  at  Pampeluna. 
Instead  of  acting  thus,  this  force  of  from  16,000  to  18,000  men 
has  been  placed  with  its  right  at  Logrono :  a  bad  system,  good 
for  customhouse  officers,  not  for  soldiers. 

Second  observation : — 

This  corps  on  the  left,  concentered  at  Tudela,  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  rest  of  the  army.  Its  duty  is  independent; 
its  principal  business  is  to  keep  down  Navarre,  which  has  been 
explained  above.  It  will  have  its  own  line  of  operations,  resting 
on  Pampeluna,  where  will  be  its  heavy  baggage,  means  of  trans 
port,  and  whatever  would  embarrass  its  motions. 

Third  observation : — 

The  troops  encamped  at  Tudela,  from  16,000  to  18,000 
strong,  always  provisioned  for  one  month,  must  not  be  idle. 
They  sKould  send  out  parties  one  or  two  marches  distant,  to  the 
right  and  to  the  left,  and  thus  cover  Logrono. 

Under  such  circumstances  what  will  the  [Spanish]  army  of 
Aragon  do  ?  Will  it  leave  Saragossa  to  move  on  Logrono  ? 
Then  the  troops  at  Tudela  will  attack  its  rear. 

Will  it  move  by  Los  Arcos  on  Pampeluna  ?  Then  one  of  two 
things  may  be  done. 

The  army  at  Tudela  might  march  to  Saragossa  and  take  the 
town,  or  it  might  send  by  the  left  bank  a  detachment  to  Los 
Arcos. 

Fourth  observation. 

If  we  do  not  occupy  Tudela,  this  is  what  the  enemy  will  do. 
He  will  march  thither  himself,  if  he  is  in  force,  and  then  all 


356  PLAN  FOE  THE  OEGANIZATION  CHAP.  XL 

Aragon  will  rise :  and  the  French  army,  if  threatened  at  the 
same  time  on  its  right,  will  lose  valuable  time  in  manoeuvring, 
and  may  be  beaten  by  inferior  numbers.  For  instance,  20,000 
insurgents  moving  on  Tudela,  and  spreading  false  rumours, 
might  lead  the  French  army  to  send  15,000  or  16,000  men  to 
reinforce  its  left.  This  would  take  5  or  6  days.  Then,  if  the 
enemy  appeared  with  all  his  force  before  Burgos,  there  would 
not  be  time  to  recall  that  detachment,  and  the  army  might  be 
forced  to  retreat  over  the  mountains  after  only  a  third  of  it  had 
been  engaged. 

t  Fifth  observation. 

With  from  15,000  to  18,000  men  at  Tudela,  an  enemy's 
army,  even  of  40,000  troops  of  the  line,  would  excite  no  alarm  at 
Burgos.  There  would  be  time  to  see  and  to  count  it.  You 
might  cross  the  river,  take  up  positions  on  the  left  of  the  Ebro, 
and  give  time  for  the  rest  of  the  army  to  move  on  Tudela,  where 
our  real  strength  would  be. 

The  proof  of  this  is,  that  the  slightest  rumour  disturbs  the 
head-quarters,  ill-placed  as  they  are. 

In  war  spies  and  information  count  for  nothing.  To  trust  to 
them  is  to  risk  men's  lives  on  trifling  grounds.  Thus,  though  the 
enemy  spread  the  report  that  his  whole  army  marches  from 
Saragossa  on  Tudela,  our  troops  will  not  abandon  it  until  they 
have  actually  seen  him,  taken  some  30  or  40  prisoners,  and 
obtained  from  them  precise  and  reliable  details.  If  we  do  not 
give  the  enemy  credit  for  combined  operations,  this  is  what  he 
may  do,  perhaps  has  done.  Feeling  secure  as  to  Saragossa  by 
the  evacuation  of  Tudela,  he  may  move  on  Sos,  and  disturb  the 
communications  between  Pampeluna  and  France,  and  the  army 
and  Pampeluna.  They  would  write  to  head-quarters  that  we  must 
retire  to  the  camp  of  Pampeluna,  and  the  enemy  would  become 
the  master  of  his  operations.  If  this  enemy  is  a  mere  rabble, 
whom  a  man  of  resolution  -with  3000  good  troops  could  disperse, 
the  fate  of  the  French  soldier,  so  frequently  ill-commanded,  is  to 
be  deplored.  By  such  a  retreat  of  our  left  our  centre  would  be 
turned  and  forced  also  to  retreat,  and  possibly  60,000  brave  men 


SEPT.  1808.  OF  THE  ARMY  OF  SPAIN.  357 

might  be  manoeuvred  in  a  manner  which  •  would  discourage  and 
disorder  the  whole  army. 

Sixth  observation. 

We  have  already  *  shown  that  the  system  of  lines  of  troops 
(cordons)  is  among  the  worst :  that  even  a  line  like  that  of  the 
Rhine  or  the  Vistula  can  be  held  only  by  occupying  bridges  and 
having  the  power  of  resuming  the  offensive.  Though  in  a  plain, 
Tudela  has  the  advantages  of  a  commanding  elevation,  for  like 
that  it  is  an  offensive  position.  The  enemy  has  to  fear  and  to  take 
precautions  on  every  side. 

The  result  of  these  six  observations  is,  that  the  whole  left 
should  be  concentered  at  Tudela ;  the  16,000  men  collected  there 
should  form,  should  excite,  should  animate  one  another,  and  con 
stantly  threaten  the  enemy. 

Instead  of  5000  only  2000  men  should  be  left  at  Pampeluna. 
We  ought  to  act  on  the  offensive,  as  becomes  a  French  army,  and 
not,  as  we  are  doing,  mildly  on  the  defensive. 

We  have  remarked  on  the  left  of  the  army ;  the  right  is  not 
better  posted.  Why  occupy  Burgos  with  only  cavalry  ?  Why 
not  with  all  the  corps  of  Marshal  Bessieres,  from  16,000  to 
18,000  strong  ?  By  sending  out  reconnaissances  to  the  distance 
of  35  or  40  miles,  our  defensive  would  be  honourable,  and  we 
should  know  all  that  the  enemy  was  doing.  All  the  Spanish 
army  would  then  be  insufficient.  Even  if  they  had  40,000  regu 
lar  troops,  our  advanced  detachments  would  see  them,  and 
manoeuvre  in  consequence,  or  fall  back  on  other  corps.  But  this  is 
repeating  what  has  been  said  in  previous  notes. 

Marshal  Ney's  corps  of  the  centre  and  the  corps  round  the 
King,  each  20,000,  might  be  placed  in  a  second  line  between 
Logrono  and  Burgos.  The  left  column  should  be  3  days  of 
forced  marches  from  Tudela ;  the  right,  one  day  from  Burgos. 

The  army,  thus  placed  offensively  on  the  right  and  on  the  left, 
would  not  be  disturbed  by  false  rumours  spread  by  the  enemy.  It 
should  receive  clear  distinct  orders.  When  before  were  20,000 

*  Probably  in  previous  papers. — TR. 


SPAIN.—  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  AEMY.  CHAP.  XI. 

French  alarmed  at  the  •approach  of  double  their  number  ?  They 
are  frightened  though  no  one  one  is  before  them.  There  is  not 
an  ensign  who  does  not  see  that  the  army  is  in  a  false  position. 
This  is  always  the  case  with  an  ill-conceived  and  ill-managed 
defensive.  We  shall  see  the  change  in  the  feelings  of  the  people  and 
of  the  army  when  what  has  been  suggested  in  this  note  and  in 
the  previous  ones  has  been  executed. 

Second  Part. 

The  army  being  organised  and  placed  as  it  is,  what  is  to  be 
done?     After  its  disposition  has  been 

.JSES*££S££  *e<*ified  detachments  may  be  sent  to 
fore  the  calamity  of  Dupont  was  Soria,  the  town  taken,  some  houses 
kD°iW  Not  to  evacuate.  burnt,  some  hostages  taken,  the  inhabi- 

2.  TO  take  Saragossa.  tantg   digarmed,   the    property   of    the 

3.  To  be  in  a  position  to  com-  .  . 

municate  with  Portugal.       nobles,  who  have  left  it,  burnt.      Inis 


feasible  not  one  was  done,  yet  all      the  Centre  of  the  army. 


°'  Sr7'  What  more  ?  Send  two  columns,  one 
from  Bilbao,  the  other  from  Reynosa,  to 

Santander  ;  take  possession  of  the  town,  burn  the  standard  used 
when  Ferdinand  was  proclaimed,  drive  away  the  bishop,  carry  off 
hostages. 

So  much  for  the  centre  and  the  right.  As  to  the  left,  parties 
should  be  sent  as  far  as  Reynosa,  and  hostages  taken. 

All  these  smaller  operations  will  prepare  for  those  which  will 
take  place  when  the  reinforcements  arrive,  and  will  afford  an  army 
of  60,000  men  the  room,  the  activity,  and  the  confidence  which  it 
ought  to  have.  They  will  enable  real  information  to  be  received, 
and  stop  the  rumours  spread  about  our  camps,  which  discourage 
the  soldiers  and  excite  the  insolence  of  the  inhabitants.  In  Bis 
cay  and  in  Navarre  all  suspected  persons  must  be  arrested.  Why 
was  not  the  house  of  Valdez  seized  at  Burgos  ?  The  insurgents 
act  vigorously  :  the  French  army  carries  its  indulgence  up  to 
weakness. 


SEPT.  1808.  EEWAEDS  FOE  THE  AFFAIE  OF  BILBAO.  359 

[431.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

8t  Cloud,  Sept.  17,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  shall  not  answer  your  last  letter,*  in  which 
you  appear  to  me  to  be  out  of  humour.  I  have  observed  this 
rule  with  you  for  a  long  time  past.  You  have  too  much  sense 
not  to  be  aware  that  this  is  the  only  course  open  to  me  when  you 
write  in  such  terms.  Nor  shall  I  ever  discuss  the  past  with  you 
unless  you  ask  me  to  do  so  for  your  particular  benefit,  and  to  serve 
you  as  a  rule  for  the  future.  As  long  as  you  are  convinced  that 
everything  has  been  done  by  you  in  the  best  possible  way,  I  ought 
to  leave  you  in  this  belief,  and  not  teaze  you,  since  the  past  can 
never  be  remedied.  I  have  granted  all  the  rewards  which  General 
Merlin  asked  me  for  on  account  of  the  affair  of  Bilbao,  the  more 
willingly  as  his  demands  seemed  to  me  to  be  reasonable. 


[  432.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Sept.  20, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  13th.  You 
may  keep  Negrete  as  long  as  you  like ;  he  need  not  hasten  his 
departure  for  Vienna,  f 


[433.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Metz,  Sept  23,  1SO& 

My  Brother, — I  am  still  on  my  way  to  Erfurt,  where  the  con 
ferences  are  to  take  place  on  the  27th.  All  the  roads  in  France 
are  filled  with  troops ;  the  Grand  Army  is  marching  in  three 
divisions,  and  the  rear  is  already  beyond  Paris. 


[434.]  JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

Miranda,  Sept.  14, 1808. 

Sire, — I  have  received  your  Majesty's  letter  of  the  7th.  I 
am  approaching  Marshal  Moncey.  I  have  ordered  him  to  hold 
Tudela.  I  shall  bring  together  in  that  neighbourhood  a  great 

*  I  cannot  decide  what  letter  is  alluded  to. — TB. 
f  Austria  had  not  acknowledged  Joseph. 


360  JOSEPH'S  PLAN  OF  OPERATIONS.  CHAP.  XI. 

part  of  the  army.  It  seems  that  it  is  in  that  direction  that  the 
enemy  collects  his  means  and  will  make  his  attempt. 

I  am  sure  that,  if  I  were  to  quit  the  line  of  the  Ebro,  leaving 
garrisons  only  in  Pampeluna,  St.  Sebastian,  Pancorbo,  and  Bur 
gos,  and  collecting  all  my  forces,  amounting  now  to  50,000  men, 
well  organised,  rested,  and  in  a  good  state,  I  could  disperse  the 
enemy  and  reach  Madrid,  where  the  government  which  they  are 
trying  to  create  would  disperse  of  itself.  I  should  move,  always 
in  one  body,  in  every  direction  in  which  I  could  find  subsistence 
and  an  enemy.  I  should  carry  everything  with  me,  and  not  draw 
near  to  Burgos  until  the  Grand  Army  was  there.  Till  then,  I 
should  be  in  Spain  as  you  were  in  Egypt,  as  a  seventy-four  is  at 
sea.  I  should  avoid  difficult  countries,  and  be  always  secure  and 
master  in  the  plains.  The  defiles,  the  mountains  of  Biscay,  and 
the  communications  with  France  would  be  interrupted  until  the 
first  troops  of  the  Grand  Army,  collected  at  Bayonne,  entered 
Spain  in  bodies  of  20,000  or  25,000  men.  Such  a  scheme  may 
seem  bold,  but  I  am  sure  that  it  would  succeed  better  than  the 
tentative  defence  to  which  I  am  condemned  along  a  line  of  more 
that  150  miles. 

It  is  possible  that  such  a  move  may  disperse  the  elements  that 
are  going  to  unite  at  Madrid,  and  that  the  surprise  of  these  in 
complete  formations  may  facilitate  the  submission  of  the  whole 
country  on  the  arrival  of  the  great  force  which  your  Majesty  is 
directing  on  it.  This,  Sire,  is  my  view. 

If  your  Majesty  will  consider  it,  and  give  me  your  orders,  I 
will  execute  them,  confident  of  full  success.  I  shall  leave  behind 
me  Saragossa  and  partial  insurrections ;  I  shall  beat  the  large 
bodies,  and  I  shall  spread  terror  among  the  theorists  of  Madrid. 
They  will  fling  away  their  arms  and  their  pens  when  they  know 
that  50,000  French  are  marching  on  them.  But  until  the  Grand 
Army  reaches  me,  you  will  know  nothing  of  us,  we  shall  know 
nothing  of  you. 

If  you  agree  with  me,. Sire,  give  me  your  approbation,  and  I 
answer  for  the  execution.  I  have  thought  much  on  my  position, 
and  this  seems  to  me  the  best  course.  I  am  sure  that,  when  I 
have  talked  to  Marshal  Jourdan,  Ney,  and  Bessieres,  I  shall  find 
that  they  think  with  me. 


SEPT.  1808.  JOSEPH'S  PLAN  OF  OPERATIONS.  36  J 

£  435.]  JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

Miranda,  Sept.  16, 1808. 

gire? — X  have  communicated  my  plan  to  Marshal  Jourdan 
and  Marshal  Ney ;  they  both  agree  with  me.  I  have  no  doubt 
of  the  assent  of  the  other  Marshals.  I  may  have  your  Majesty's 
answer  by  the  1st  of  October,  indeed  before,  as  I  sent  my  plan 
on  the  14th. 

If  your  Majesty  approves  my  scheme,  you  may  not  hear  of  me 
until  the  Grand  Army  reaches  me ;  but  I  am  sure  that  it  will 
find  affairs  here  in  a  much  better  state  than  if  any  of  the  other 
five  plans  are  adopted. 


[  436.]         NAPOLEON'S  OBSERVATIONS  on  JOSEPH'S  PLAN  of  the 
14th  September. 

Chalons-sur-Marne,  Sept  16, 1808. 

First  observation. 

The  proposal  is,  to  march  with  50,000  men  on  Madrid, 
keeping  them  together,  and  abandoning  all  communication  with 
France. 

The  art  of  war  is  an  art  founded  on  principles  which  must  not 
be  violated.  To  change  one's  line  of  operation  is  an  operation 
which  only  a  man  of  genius  ought  to  attempt.  To  lose  one's  line 
of  operations  is  an  operation  so  dangerous  that  to  be  guilty  of  it 
is  a  crime.  To  preserve  it  is  necessary  in  order  to  avoid  being 
separated  from  one's  depot,  which  is  the  point  of  rendezvous, 
the  magazine  of  supplies,  and  the  place  to  which  one's  prisoners, 
wounded,  and  sick  are  to  be  sent. 

If,  when  the  French  were  in  Madrid,  they  had  extended 
their  forces  on  the  town,  and  used  the  Retiro  as  the  deposit 
of  prisoners,  of  hospitals,  and  of  the  means  of  keeping  down 
a  large  town  and  using  its  resources,  they  might  have  lost 
their  line  of  communication  with  France,  but  would  have  pre 
served  their  line  of  operation,*  especially  if  they  had  seized 

*  In  this  case  the  line  of  operation  would  have  been  from  the  town  to 
the  Retire.— TR, 

VOL.  I.— 16 


NAPOLEONS  OBSERVATIONS  CHAP.  XL 

their  opportunity  to  collect  a  large  amount  of  supplies,  and  had 
established,  a  day  or  two's  inarch  from  the  principal  d6bouches, 
posts  like  the  citadel  of  Segovia,  for  the  purposes  of  support  aud 
observation. 

But  at  this  instant  to  rush  into  the  interior  of  Spain,  without 
any  organised  centre  or  magazines,  with  hostile  armies  on  one's 
flanks  and  in  one's  rear,  would  be  an  attempt  without  precedent 
in  the  history  of  the  world. 

If,  before  Madrid  was  taken,  and  depots  of  subsistence  for 
eight  or  ten  days  and  of  ammunition  were  provided,  this  army 
were  beaten,  what  would  become  of  it  ?  Where  would  H  rally  ? 
Where  would  it  send  its  wounded,  whence  would  it  draw  its 
supplies  ?  for  it  is  provided  only  for  its  current  wants.  Nothing 
more  need  be  said.  Those  who  dare  to  recommend  such  a  step 
would  be  the  first  to  lose  their  heads  as  soon  as  the  results  began 
to  show  its  absurdity. 

The  garrison  of  an  invested  fortress  has  lost  its  line  of  commu 
nication,  but  not  its  line  of  operation,  for  its  line  of  operation  is 
from  the  glacis  to  the  centre,  where  are  the  hospitals,  the  maga 
zines,  and  the  stores.  Is  it  beaten  on  a  sortie  ?  it  rallies  on  the 
glacis,  and  has  three  or  four  days  to  restore  the  spirit  of  its  men. 
If  troops  such  as  those  of  the  Guard,  and  Grenerals  such  as 
Alexander  or  Caesar,  could  be  guilty  of  such  follies,  no  one  could 
answer  for  the  event  —  still  less  with  an  army  in  such  circum 
stances  as  ours.  This  scheme,  opposed  as  it  is  to  all  the  rules  of 
war,  must  be  given  up,  A  general  who  attempted  such  an  ope 
ration  would  commit  a  crime. 

2nd  observation. 

What,  then,  is  to  be  done  ? 

What  has  been  already  advised.  To  concentrate  the  left  at 
Tudela,  not  by  way  of  a  cordon,  but  posted  on  each  side  of  the 
Ebro,  ready  to  pass  it  if  necessary,  and  keeping  its  communica 
tion  with  Parnpeluna ;  to -concentrate  the  right  about  Burgos,  in 
tercepting  the  road  between  Reinosa  and  Madrid,  the  reserve  in 
the  second  line,  ready  to  move  in  either  direction. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  reserve,  Marshal  Ney's  corps, 


SEPT.  1808.  ON  JOSEPH'S  PLAN. 

and  that  of  Marshal  Bessieres  might  be  united  and  thrown  upon 
the  enemy  approaching  by  the  Madrid  road  or  by  the  Palencia 
road.  These  36,000  or  40,000  men  may  easily  make  three  or 
four  marches  in  any  direction.  It  is  possible,  without  doubt, 
that  the  enemy  would  not  stand  the  approach  of  so  great  a  force ; 
if  he  retreated  five  or  six  marches,  advantage  might  be  taken  of 
it  te  seize  Reinosa  and  Santander,  very  important  operations. 
What  encourages  the  enemy  to  hold  Reinosa  is  that  you  occupy 
Burgos  only  with  cavalry,  and  show  symptoms  of  abandoning  it. 
In  war,  all  is  opinion ;  opinion  as  to  the  enemy,  opinion  as  to 
oneself.  After  the  loss  of  a  battle,  the  physical  difference  in  the 
loss  of  the  conqueror  and  of  the  conquered  is  little ;  the  moral 
difference  is  enormous,  as  we  see  from  the  effect  which  two  or 
three  squadrons  may  produce  on  a  beaten  army.  Nothing  has 
been  done  to  give  confidence  to  the  French ;  there  is  not  a  soldier 
who  does  not  see  that  everything  breathes  timidity,  thence  he 
forms  his  opinion  as  to  the  force  of  the  enemy.  He  has  no  means 
of  knowing  what  is  opposed  to  him  except  what  he  hears,  and  the 
attitude  which  he  is  desired  to  assume. 

Third  observation. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  with  the  number  of  troops  which  form 
the  army  of  Spain  you  may  march  to  Madrid,  and  you  ought  to 
do  so,  but  only  after  having  destroyed  all  the  enemy's  corps  by 
combined  movements  on  Palencia  and  Saragossa,  if  the  enemy 
commits  the  fault  of  approaching  you  in  force.  But,  to  do  this, 
one  must  have  one's  army  in  hand,  understand  one's  art,  and  act 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  I  can  only  repeat  what  I  have  said 
again ;  attack  the  enemy  if  he  comes  within  two  marches.  If 
you  obtain  a  decisive  victory  over  his  united  force,  or  several  vic 
tories  over  his  separate  corps,  these  victories  will  point  out  what 
is  to  be  done.  But  all  these  battles  must  be  fought  according  to 
the  rules  of  war ;  that  is  to  say,  with  the  line  of  operations  secure. 


364  NAPOLEON'S  OBSERVATIONS  CIIAP.  XI. 

[  437.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Kaisers!  autern. 

My  Brother, — You  will  have  received  some  remarks  upon  the 
paper  annexed  to  your  letter  of  the  16th.  In  war,  you  must 
have  sound  and  precise  ideas.  What  you  propose  is  not  feasible. 
You  must  adopt  it  as  a  general  principle  that  the  enemy  i§  not 
to  be  suffered  to  establish  himself  within  three,  or  even  four, 
days'  march  from  Burgos.  Palencia  is  only  two  days'  march. 
The  enemy  would  probably  not  have  gone  thither  if  Burgos  had 
been  occupied  by  a  force  capable  of  taking  the  offensive ;  and 
when  once  the  enemy  is  beaten  and  driven  beyond  Palencia,  San- 
tander  will  fall  or  be  carried  in  a  short  time,  which  will  be  im 
portant.  As  to  your  left,  the  corps  at  Tudela  ought  always  to 
have  its  retreat  open  upon  Pampeluna;  and  if  12,000  or  15,000 
men  were  pushed  on  to  Pampeluna,  they  would  be  safe  in  the 
town  or  in  the  intrenched  camp.  All  this  must  depend  upon 
what  the  enemy  does.  In  war,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  one 
must  act ;  one  has  always  the  night  in  which  to  make  prepara 
tions.  Of  course  the  enemy  is  not  left  to  take  up  a  position  with, 
out  being  reconnoitred ;  but  it  is  wrong  to  calculate  theoretically 
what  you  will  do,  since  this  must  always  be  dependent  on  what 
has  been  done  and  will  be  done  by  him. 

According  to  the  laws  of  war,  every  general  who  loses  his 
line  of  communication  deserves  death.  By  the  line  of  communi 
cation*  I  mean  that  which  reaches  from  the  army  to  the  places 
where  are  hospitals,  the  succours  for  the  sick,  the  provisions  and 
the  ammunitions  of  war ;  where  the  army  can  be  restored  and 
reorganised,  and  can  recover  in  a  day  or  two  of  rest,  its  spirit, 
impaired  sometimes  by  some  unforeseen  accident.  The  line  of 
communication  is  not  lost  because  it  is  disturbed  by  guerrillas,  by 
insurgent  peasants,  and  in  general  by  that  which  is  called  a  war 
of  partisans.  A  few  detached  men  will  always  force  their  way, 

*  Napoleon,  writing  hastily,  confounds  the  line  of  communication  with  the 
line  of  operation,  which  he  had  carefully  distinguished  in  the  preceding  paper. 
In  all  this  letter  the  word  operation  ought  to  be  substituted  for  communication, 
in  order  to  adhere  to  the  nomenclature  of  the  preceding  paper.—  -TR. 


OCT.  1808.  ON  JOSEPH'S  PLANS.  365 

whatever  course  one  takes ;  such  enemies  may  stop  couriers,  but 
are  not  capable  of  making  a  stand  against  a  van  or  a  rear  guard. 
If  this  be  all,  it  amounts  to  nothing.  The  line  of  communication 

is  organised  on  the  principle  that *  had  been 

fortified ,*  and  more  troops  might  have  been  assem 
bled  there  if  necessary  in  a  few  days.  There  is  great  difference 
between  operations  with  a  well-considered  system  from  an  organ 
ised  centre,  and  proceeding  at  hazard  without  such  a  centre,  and 
risking  the  loss  of  one's  communications. 


[  438.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Erfurt,  Sept.  27,  1808. 

My  Brother, — I  arrived  this  morning  at  9  o'clock  at  Erfurt. 
The  Emperor  of  Russia  reached  Weimar  yesterday.  Our  inter 
view  is  to  take  place  here  in  an  hour's  time.  The  King  of  Sax 
ony  came  yesterday,  as  well  as  many  other  princes. 


[439.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Erfurt,  Oct  1, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  been  here  for  the  last  four  days  with 
the  Emperor  of  Russia,  the  King  of  Saxony,  and  many  sove 
reigns  and  princes.  Affairs  are  taking  a  good  turn  for  us. 


[  440.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Erfurt,  Oct.  11, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  a  translation  of  two  letters  inter 
cepted  in  the  hands  of  a  courier  from  Palafox. 

I  am  still  with  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  All  goes  on  as  well 
as  possible. 

[441.]  NAPOLEON  TO 'JOSEPH. 

Erfurt,  Oct.  13, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  arranged  all  with  the  Emperor  of  Rus 
sia,  f  I  am  to  start  to-morrow  for  Paris,  and  in  a  month's  time 

*  The  words  omitted  are  illegible  in  the  original. — ED. 

f  This  arrangement  was,  to  give  Finland,  Moldavia,  and  Wallachia  to 
Russia,  as  the  price  of  her  not  interfering  with  the  seizure  of  Spain  hy  Na 
poleon. — TB, 


366  INFORMATION  EBQU1EED.  CIIAP.  XL 

I  shall  be  at  Bayonne.  Send  me  an  exact  statement  of  the  po 
sition  of  the  army,  in  order  that  I  may  trace  a  definitive  plan  of 
operations,  making  as  few  removals  as  possible.  At  present  the 
enemy's  presumption  is  so  great  that  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
he  will  remain  where  he  is.  The  nearer  he  is  to  us  the  better. 
A  well-arranged  manoeuvre  might  terminate  the  war  by  a  single 
blow ;  and  for  this  my  presence  is  necessary. 

I  shall  set  off  as  soon  as  I  have  put  the  corps  Ugislatif  in 
motion. 

[442.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Oct.  18, 1808. 

My  Brother, — Berthier  left  me  to-day  for  Bayonne.  I  shall 
be  there  in  a  few  days.  It  is  requisite  that  I  should  have  all  the 
plans  and  details  of  the  course  of  the  Ebro  from  Tudela  to  Frias, 
and  of  the  roads  between  Vittoria  and  Logroiio.  Is  the  fortress 
of  Burgos  preserved,  or  was  it  destroyed  ?  What  bridges  are 
occupied  on  the  Ebro  ?  There  must  be  some  intelligent  cavalry 
officers  who  have  travelled  over  the  country  between  the  Ebro 
and  Soria,  Tudela  and  Logroiio.  Send  one  or  two  of  the  best  of 
them  to  Bayonne  to  give  me  information  respecting  the  roads  and 
the  country.  If,  among  the  Spaniards  who  are  attached  to  you, 
there  are  any  who  are  well  acquainted  with  the  provinces  of  Soria 
and  Montana,  and  the  country  about  Santander,  I  should  be  very 
glad  if,  on  any  pretext,  you  could  send  them  to  Bayonne.  I  in 
tend  to  stay  there,  however,  only  a  very  few  days,  and  then  to 
put  myself  immediately  at  the  head  of  the  army. 


[443.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

St.  Cloud,  Oct  19, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  arrived  in  Paris  last  night,  having  left 
Erf  art  on  the  14th.  Everything  was  arranged  as  I  could  wish 
it  to  be;  and  after  spending  18  days  there  the  Emperor  and  I 
separated  on  the  best  possible  terms.  Marshal  Jourdan  does  not 
write  to  the  Prince  de  Neufchatel,*  so  that  1  have  no  details  on 
the  state  of  the  armies.  All  that  I  can  find  out  is  that  you  have 

*  Berthier. 


OCT.  1809-  INFORMATION  EEQUIEED.  3(J7 

evacuated  the  whole  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Ebro.  From  that 
moment  your  position  became  bad.  The  enemy,  as  he  no  longer 
fears  your  taking  up  the  aggressive  from  Burgos,  may  safely 
direct  his  movements  on  Bilbao,  and  establish  the  theatre  of  war 
in  the  mountains,  just  as,  fearing  no  longer  that  you  should 
descend  by  the  right  bank  upon  Saragossa,  he  is  equally  able  to 
attack  your  extreme  left. 

If  you  had  occupied  Burgos  and  Tudela  in  force,  and  pre 
pared  for  taking  the  offensive,  not  one  of  these  things  could  have 
happened. 

Is  the  enemy  at  Burgos  ?  Have  you  left  any  troops  in  the 
citadel,  or  have  you  destroyed  it?  I  know  nothing  of  what 
you  have  done,  except  that  it  is  bad.  I  cannot  understand  why 
the  staff  does  not  communicate  every  occurrence  in  detail,  nor 
why  they  omit  to  send  to  me  the  general's  reports,  in  order  that 
I  may  understand  the  state  of  the  question.  I  ought  to  know 
the  exact  number  of  the  killed  and  wounded  in  every  skirmish, 
in  fact  the  most  minute  particulars.  It  is  inexplicable,  it  is 
treating  ine  shamefully.  The  staff  ought  to  write  three  pages 
every  day. 


THE  FKENCH  ARMY  IN  SPAIN.  CHAP.  XIL 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE  letters  in  this  chapter  extend  from  the  3rd  of  November, 
1808,  to  the  19th  of  January,  1809,  that  is  to  say,  from  the 
arrival  of  Napoleon  at  Bayonne  to  begin  the  second  Spanish 
campaign,  until  his  departure  from  Valladolid  to  prepare  for 
the  campaign  which  was  terminated  by  the  battle  of  Wagram. 

When  he  entered  Spain  the  French  armies  had  either  capi 
tulated  to  the  English  at  Cintra  or  to  the  Spaniards  at  Baylen, 
or  had  retired  beyond  the  Ebro.  When  he  left  it,  less  than 
three  months  afterwards,  the  English  had  been  driven  out  of 
Spain,  the  resistance  of  the  Spaniards  was  confined  to  the 
defence  of  a  few  towns  and  a  guerrilla  war  in  the  southern  and 
western  provinces,  and  Joseph  was  again  in  Madrid.  Napoleon 
forced  him  to  call  himself  King  of  Spain  and  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  French  armies,  but  in  reality  neither  was  his  roy 
alty  recognised  by  the  Spaniards,  except  within  the  country 
occupied  by  the  French  army,  nor  his  command  by  the  French. 

On  his  arrival  at  Bayonne,  Napoleon,  the  most  provident,  the 
most  accurate,  and  the  most  powerful  of  administrators,  and  the 
best  obeyed  of  generals,  found  that  his  orders,  both  as  to  the 
preparations  for  the  campaign  and  as  to  the  management  of  the 
war,  had  been  ill-followed.  The  army  was  without  clothing,  and, 
instead  of  being  kept  together  near  Vittoria,  the  left  had  been 
sent  as  far  as  Lerida  to  the  east,  and  the  right,  under  Marshal 
Lefebvre  (the  Duke  of  Dantzic)  and  Marshal  Victor,  had  marched 


Nov.  1803.  AEMY  SUPPLY. 

to  the  west  to  attack  the  Spaniards  under  Blake,  had  defeated 
him,  entered  Bilbao,  and  pushed  on  towards  Yalmaseda.  Gen 
eral  Villate's  division,  part  of  Victor's  corps,  was  at  Valmaseda 
when  Lefebvre,  in  want  of  supplies,  fell  back  on  Bilbao,  and 
Victor,  hearing  of  Napoleon's  arrival,  and  anxious  to  return  to 
head-quarters,  where  he  would  be  under  the  Emperor's  eye, 
marched  back  towards  Vittoria,  leaving  Villate  exposed  to  an 
attack  by  superior  forces. 

"  Thus,"  says  Thiers,  "  began  the  series  of  faults,  the  res  lit 
of  the  selfishness  and  the  jealousy  of  our  generals,  which  lost 
the  cause  of  France  in  Spain,  and,  by  losing  it  in  Spain,  lost  it 
also  in  Europe."* 


f  444.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  Nov.  3, 1808. 

My  Brother, —  I  have  this  instant  reached  Bayonne;  all 
your  trgops  are  scattered.  Let  us  hear  from  you  at  least  once 
or  twice  a  day,  that  I  may  know  the  positions  of  all  the  dif 
ferent  corps.  Having  ridden  post  over  a  part  of  the  Landes,  I 
am  rather  tired. 


[  445.]         NAPOLEON  TO  THE  MINISTER  DEJEAN,  DIRECTOR  OF  THE 
ADMINISTRATION  OF  WAR. 

Bayonne,  Nov.  4,  1808. 

You  will  find  annexed  a  report  of  the  Commissary.  You 
will  see  how  shamefully  I  am  treated ;  I  have  only  1400  coats, 
7000  great-coats  instead  of  50,000,  15,000  pairs  of  shoes  instead 
of  129,000.  I  am  in  want  of  everything;  nothing  can  be  worse 
than  the  clothing.  My  army  will  begin  the  campaign  naked; 
it  has  nothing.  The  conscripts  are  not  clothed.  Your  reports 
are  waste  paper.  Merely  sending  convoys  is  not  enough;  they 

*  Thiers,  vol.  ix.  p.  403. 


370  AEMY  SUPPLY.  CHAP.  XII. 

should  be  despatched  regularly  under  an  officer  or  a  clerk,  and 
they  would  arrive. 

You  will  find  enclosed  letters  from  the  Prefect  of  the  Grironde 
and  a  report  from  Inspector  Dufreme.  You  will  see  that  all  is 
robbery  and  peculation.  My  army  is  naked,  just  as  it  enters  on 
a  campaign.  I  have  spent  a  great  deal,  which  has  been  money 
thrown  into  the  sea. 


f  446.]  NAPOLEON  TO  DEJEAN. 

Tolosa,  Nov.  5,  1808. 

What  I  want  are  great-coats  and  shoes.  I  should  want 
nothing  if  my  orders  had  been  executed  ;  not  one  has  been  exe 
cuted,  because  the  Commissary  cannot  be  relied  on,  and  because 
he  has  been  dealing  with  rogues.  You  must  send  to  Bayonne  a 
commissary  above  suspicion.  I  will  have  no  contracts ;  you  know 
that  contracts  produce  nothing  but  robbery. 

I  have  annulled  the  contract  for  clothing  at  Bordeaux.  Send 
thither  a  director  to  make  clothing  on  my  account,  who  will  re 
ceive  from  the  Prefect  assistance,  a  workplace,  and  workpeople. 
Act  on  this  principle,  that  every  contractor  is  a  thief ;  that,  when 
you  pay,  contracts  are  unnecessary ;  and  that  the  best  plan  is  al 
ways  to  make  for  yourself. 

How  is  this  working  establishment  to  be  managed  ?  Like 
those  in  our  regiments :  an  honest  commissary  must  be  put  at  its 
head,  and  three  or  four  master-tailors  under  him ;  and  three  field- 
officers  among  those  at  Bordeaux  must  receive  the  clothing  and 
see  that  it  is  good.  Give  the  commissary  funds,  and  no  contract 
will  be  necessary.  You  will  see  by  my  decree  that  a  commissioner 
is  to  be  added  to  the  commissary,  a  man  who  will  stake  his  repu 
tation  on  the  success  of  the  undertaking,  and  two  good  storekeep 
ers  and  two  master-tailors.  These  five  persons  are  enough,  and  I 
shall  have  clothing  as  good  as  that  of  my  guard. 

There  can  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  through  the  work ;  10,000 
suits  of  clothes  a-day  might  be  made ;  all  that  would  be  necessary 
would  be  to  send  for  workpeople  from  every  part  of  France.  If 
you  had  acted  thus  all  would  now  be  going  on  well.  Better  late 


Nov.  1808.  AEMT  SUPPLY.  371 

than  never.     I  will  have  no  contracts.     This  must  be  the  system 
when  the  clothing  is  made  out  of  the  regiment.* 


[  447.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tolosa,Nov.  4, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  reached  Tolosa  at  6  this  afternoon.  I  start 
to-morrow  at  5,  and  shall  be  at  Yittoria  some  time  in  the  night. 
I  wish  to  be  lodged  outside  the  town.  I  suppose  that  you  have 
sent  me  escorts,  and  above  all  relays  of  saddle-horses,  to  half  way 
between  Mondragone  and  Villafranca.  I  shall  of  course  ride  the 
whole  distance ;  nevertheless,  relays  of  four  carriage-horses  each 
may  be  useful.  I  do  not  wish  to  ride  the  same  horse  more  than 
10  or  12  miles.  I  wish  to  enter  Vittoria  incognito,  indeed  unsus 
pected.  This  is  the  reason  why  I  shall  arrive  at  night ;  it  will 
not  be  known  till  the  next  day,  and  then,  at  9  in  the  morning, 
they  may  fire  a  salute  of  60  guns.  I  have  just  dictated  to  the 
Prince  of  Neufchatelf  all  the  military  instructions  for  Marshal 
Moncey  and  for  Marshal  Ney.  They  will  be  sent  off  in  a  couple 
of  hours.  To  save  time  I  send  to  you  a  courier  at  once. 

[448.]  BERTHIER  TO  JOSEPH. 

Bayonne,  Nov.  4, 1808. 

I  have  laid  before  the  Emperor  your  Majesty's  letter  of  the 
2nd  of  November. 

The  Emperor,  Sire,  commands  me  to  write  to  the  Duke  of 
Dantzic  to  express  displeasure  at  his  having  engaged  in  so  serious 
an  affair  without  orders,  and  so  unskilfully. 

The  Emperor  hopes  that,  in  pursuance  of  the  instructions  con 
tained  in  my  letter  of  yesterday,^  you  have  ordered  Marshal 
Bessieres  to  march  on  Burgos.  Your  Majesty  must  think,  as  we 
do,  that  the  enemy  may  order  thanksgivings  for  the  inconsiderate- 
ness  of  the  Duke  of  Dantzic.  The  Emperor  wishes,  Sire,  that  the 
Duke  be  allowed  to  continue  to  manoeuvre  on  the  right.  His 

*  Thiers,  Histoire  du  Consulat  et  de  1'Empire,  tome  ix.  p.  370. 

f  Berthier.— TR. 

J  This  letter  does  not  appear. — TB. 


372  NAPOLEON'S  DISPLEASTJEE  WITH  CHAP.  Xli 

fixed  determination  is  to  employ  against  Santander  only  the  corps 
of  Marshal  Bessieres  and  the  Duke ;  to  keep  in  reserve  the  corps 
of  Marshal  Victor,  for  the  purpose  of  seconding  either  of  those 
marshals,  or  of  making  a  sudden  move  towards  the  left  in  another 
direction. 


[449.]  BERTHIEK  TO  MARSHAL  LEFEBVRE. 

Bayonne,  Nov.  5, 1808. 

The  Emperor,  M.  le  Marechal,  has  seen  with  pain  that,  with 
out  orders,  you  engaged  the  army  of  General  Blake,  which,  if  it 
had  been  allowed  to  remain  48  hours  longer  where  it  was,  might 
have  been  taken  or  attacked  with  success. 


[450.]  BERTHIER  TO  MARSHAL  VICTOR. 

Vittoria,  Nov.  6, 1SOS. 

His  Majesty,  M.  le  Mar^ch^l,  has  been  much  displeased  at 
your  having  left  General  Villate  unsupported  when  he  was  en 
gaged  with  the  enemy,  a  fault  the  graver  as  you  know  that  Mar 
shal  Lefebvre  had  already  committed  that  of  leaving  one  of  your 
divisions*  exposed  when  he  fell  back  on  Bilbao.  You  knew,  M. 
le  Marechal,  that  this  division  was  exposed  at  Yalmaseda,  as 
General  Labruyere  had  communicated  with  it  on  the  morning  of 
the  5th.  How  came  it,  then,  that,  instead  of  moving  in  person  at 
the  head  of  your  troops  to  support  one  of  your  divisions,  you  left 
this  important  operation  to  a  general  of  brigade,  in  whom  you  had 
no  confidence,  and  who  had  not  one-third  of  your  force  ?  How 
came  it  that,  after  you  knew,  in  the  course  of  the  5th,  that  Vil- 
late's  division  was  engaged,  instead  of  running  to  his  aid,  you 
chose  gratuitously  to  assume  that  he  was  victorious  ?  His  Majesty 
asks  since  when  firing  and  an  attack  have  been  proofs  that  the 
enemy  is  in  retreat  ? 

And  yet,  M.  le  Due,  Marshal  Jourdan's  orders  were  precise — 
not  to  move  on  Miranda  until  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  was  ascer- 

*  This  same  division  under  General  Villate.     It  formed  part  of  Victor's 
corps. — TR. 


NOT.  1808.  LEFEBVEE  AND  VICTOR.  373 

tained.  You  moved  while  it  was  ascertained  that  the  enemy  was 
fighting.  You  know  that  the  first  of  military  rules  is,  in  any 
doubt,  to  assist  those  who  are  attacked,  for  on  that  assistance  may 
depend  their  safety.  Under  no  circumstances  could  your  march 
to  aid  Villate  have  been  objectionable,  as  the  hypothetical  nature 
of  your  order  to  march  on  Miranda  implied  that  no  plan  of  the 
general  in  command  depended  on  its  execution. 

What  happened  was  this :  the  [Spanish]  column  Vv  ith  which 
General  Labruyere  was  engaged  reached  General  Villate,  who, 
attacked  in  front  and  rear,  was  saved  only  by  his  intrepidity.  He 
killed  great  numbers  of  the  enemy  without  much  loss  to  himself, 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  retired  to  a  position  about  five 
miles  before  Bilbao.  The  wish  of  the  Emperor  is,  that  you  move 
immediately  towards  Orduna ;  that  you  march  at  the  head  of  your 
troops ;  that  you  keep  your  troops  together  ;  that  you  manoauvre 
so  as  to  keep  yourself  in  communication  with  the  left  of  Marshal 
Lefebvre,  who  must  be  at  Bilbao.  As  we  know  nothing  here  of 
what  the  enemy  did  on  the  6th,  or  is  likely  to  do  on  the  7th,  you 
will  act  according  to  circumstances. 


[451.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Cabo,  Nov.  10,  1808,  8  P.M. 

My  Brother, — I  shall  start  at  one  to-morrow  morning  for 
Burgos,  where  I  shall  make  my  arrangements  for  the  day ;  to 
conquer  is  nothing, — one  must  know  how  to  profit  by  success.  I 
think  that  you  were  to  be  at  Briviesca  to-morrow.  I  am  as 
anxious  that  you  should  be  treated  with  ceremony  as  I  am  care 
less  about  it  myself :  it  does  not  suit  the  character  of  a  soldier, 
and  I  hate  it.  I  think  that  deputations  from  Burgos  ought  to 
meet  and  receive  you  3n  your  arrival.  I  will  give  the  orders  for 
disarming  the  people  and  burning  the  standard  which  was  used  on 
the  proclamation  of  Ferdinand.  Make  it  evident  that  this  is  no 
laughing  matter.  I  hear  that  the  army  of  Estremadura  has  been 
destroyed  ;  it  was  a  cowardly  rabble  of  braggadocios  that  could  not 
stand  the  charge  of  one  brigade  of  General  Mouton's.  If  you 
have  any  intelligence  of  what  has  happened  near  Orduna,  or  of 
Marshal  Lefebvre  or  of  Victor,  write  word  to  me. 


374  APPOINTMENT  OF  MAGISTRATES.  CHAP.  XII. 

I  am  waiting  for  news  from  that  quarter  before  I  act.  Ge 
neral  Digeon,  who  is  at  the  head  of  1000  horse,  is  at  Miranda, 
in  order  to  protect  the  passage  of  the  Spaniards  who  accompany 
you,  and  that  of  the  military  chest  and  artillery  which  I  am 
sending  towards  Burgos.  Your  affectionate  brother. 

"  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  is  in  befl,  and  commands  me  to 
send  off  this  despatch  unsigned." — MENNEVAL.* 


[452.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Burgos,  Nov.  19, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  have  ordered  the  paymaster  to  transmit 
to  your  minister  of  finance  500,000  francs  out  of  the  6  millions 
which  will  be  obtained  from  the  sale  of  wool.f  This  must  not 
prevent  your  minister  of  finance  from  raising  money  on  the 
20  per  cent,  duty  due  to  you  for  the  export  duty  on  these 
wools.  I  will  order  the  payment  of  the  duty  to  be  guaranteed 
to  any  persons  with  whom  your  minister  may  treat. 


[453.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Burgos,  Nov.  20, 1808. 

My  Brother, —  The  insurrection  is  at  an  end  in  the  pro 
vinces  of  Santander,  of  Biscay,  of  Soria,  and  to-morrow,  or  the 
day  after,  probably  will  be  so  in  that  of  Burgos ;  but  in  order 
that  the  country  shall  be  really  subbued,  it  is  necessary  that 
the  inhabitants,  corregidors,  and  superior  magistrates,  whom  the 
people  are  accustomed  to  obey,  should  be  appointed  by  you,  and 
repair  to  their  posts,  where  they  should  make  proclamations, 
grant  pardons  to  any  rebels  who  submit  and  bring  in  their  arms, 

*  This  letter  was  printed  by  M.  Thiers,  tome  ix.  p.  444,  with  some  slight 
variations. — ED. 

f  Napoleon  found  at  Burgos  large  stores  of  wool  belonging  to  the  Dukes 
of  Medina-Celi,  Ossuna,  1'Infanfeado,  and  other  great  Spanish  proprietors, 
which  he  confiscated  and  ordered  to  be  sent  for  sale  to  Bayonne.  Joseph, 
however,  was  entitled,  as  King  of  Spain,  to  a  duty  of  20  per  cent,  on  their 
export. — TK. 


Nov.  1808.  DISPOSAL  OF  NET'S  FORCES.  375 

and,  above  all,  issue  circulars  to  the  alcades  and  cures,  in  order 
to  make  them  feel  that  they  are  under  your  government.  This 
measure  will  enable  you  to  reorganize  the  police  and  the  finances, 
and  to  influence  the  conduct  of  the  people.  It  is  also  requisite 
that  the  intendants  and  corregidors  should  communicate  with 
your  ministers,  and  pass  on  to  them  any  information  which  they 
may  obtain.  I  believe  that  there  were  six  or  seven  intendants 
in  Old  Castile.  I  attach  great  importance  to  your  doing  all 
this.  It  will  be  more  useful  than  any  proclamation,  I  think, 
therefore,  that  you  had  better  send  circulars  widely  to  the 
alcades  and  cures.  My  troops  have  entered  Santander.  I  am 
told  that  many  insurgents  from  Biscay  have  submitted,  asking 
for  nothing  better  than  to  lay  down  their  arms  if  they  can  be 
pure  of  receiving  pardon,  and  of  escaping  investigation. 


[  454.  ]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Aranda,  on  the  Douro,  Nov.  23, 1808, 7 p.  M. 

My  Brother, — I  arrived  here  at  4  o'clock.  Marshal  Ney 
was  to  march  on  Soria  on  the  22nd.  I  have  not  yet  heard  any 
thing  of  him.  It  seems  that  there  has  been  much  disturbance 
and  disorder  at  Madrid.  I  send  you  some  intercepted  letters. 
I  have  ordered  General  Darmagnac  to  send  a  company  of  the 
118th  to  Lerma  to  garrison  the  place  and  to  keep  order  there; 
he  is  to  send  another  to  G-urniel,  for  the  same  purpose. 


[455.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Aranda,  Nov.  24, 1808. 

My  Brother, — Marshal  Ney  entered  Soria  on  the  22nd,  at 
noon.  Some  shots  were  fired,  and  a  few  peasants  were  cut  down 
His  forces  are  distributed  at  Siguenza,  on  the  road  to  Madrid ;  at 
Agreda,  on  the  road  to  Pampeluna ;  and  at  Medina-Celi,  on  the 
road  to  Saragossa  and  Madrid.  It  is  necessary  that  you  should 
immediately  send  some  one  to  Soria  to  put  the  country  in  order. 
A  provisional  government  has  already  been  appointed  ;  but  as  the 
capital  of  a  province  this  town  is  important. 


376  BATTLES  OF  ESPINOSA  AND  TUDELA.  CHAP.  XII 

[456.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Aranda,  Nov.  25, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  am  sorry  for  what  has  happened  to  the  person 
whom  you  sent  to  Santander.*  If  he  had  had  a  regular  commis 
sion,  stamped  and  signed  by  you,  and  sealed  with  your  arms,  this 
would  have  not  occurred.  When  you  wish  to  send  men  on  similar 
missions,  this  is  the  method  which  I  wish  you  to  follow : — 

1.  Give  to  the  person  whom  you  send  an  authentic  warrant, 
stamped  and  signed  by  you,  and  sealed  with  your  arms.  2.  Let 
him  be  accompanied  by  a  French  officer  belonging  to  your  guard, 
who  will  be  the  bearer  of  a  letter  either  from  General  Dumas  or 
from  the  commandant  of  the  province  to  the  French  cc.nmandants. 
3.  This  mission  should  be  announced  to  the  commandant,  we  will 
say  of  Santander,  by  a  letter,  signed  by  one  of  your  generals  or 
ministers.  Experience  has  proved  the  necessity  of  these  precau 
tions. 

[457.1  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Aranda,  Nov.  2T,  1803. 

My  Brother, — You  and  your  guard  may  commence  your  march 
towards  Lerma,  where  you  can  sleep,  and  reach  Aranda  on  the 

.f     The  action  at  Espinosa,J  and  still  more  that  at  Tudela,§ 

show  what  stuff  the  Spanish  soldiers  are  made  of.  Yet  there 
were  at  Tudela  30,000  of  their  best  troops  and  60  pieces  of  can 
non  ;  only  6000  of  ours  were  in  action.  Castanos  and  Palafox 
began  the  rout.  Send  to  Pampeluna  an  intelligent  Spanish  officer 
to  converse  with  the  3000  or  4000  prisoners  who  have  been  taken, 
and  to  ascertain  the  names  of  the  regiments  which  were  present. 
If  Marshal  Ney  had  not  let  himself  be  deceived  by  the  inhabit 
ants,  and  had  not  remained  till  the  23rd  and  24th  at  Soria,  be- 

*  An  agent  of  Joseph's  had  been  arrested  by  the  French  authorities  at 
Reynosa,  though  provided  with  a  passport  from  the  Spanish  Minister  of  Po 
lice. — TR. 

t  Illegible.— ED. 

J  Fought  on  the  10th  and  1-lth  of  November,  in  which  Victor  defeated 
Blake.— TR. 

§  Fought  on  the  23rd  of  November,  in  which  Lannes  defeated  Castanos  and 
Palafox.— TR. 


DEO.  1803.  FOREIGN  EEGIMENTS  OF  SPAIN.  377 

cause  lie  imagined  that  the  Spaniards  had  80,000  men,  and  other 
such  follies,  he  would  have  arrived  on  the  23rd  at  Agreda*  as  I 
had  ordered,  and  not  a  man  would  have  escaped. 

P.S.  Should  this  letter  reach  you  too  late,  it  will  be  enough 
if  you  start  on  the  29th ,  and  are  here  in  the  evening  of  the  30th. 


[458.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Buytrago,  Nov.  30, 1808,  6  P.M. 

My  Brother, — We  have  had  an  action.  A  corps  of  9000  men 
occupied  Sonao  Sierra;  4000  were  in  position  at  Sepulveda.  f 
The  body  at  Somo  Sierra  was  beaten,  their  guns,  about  50  bag 
gage-waggons,  and  many  prisoners  taken,  and  the  rest  dispersed  in 
the  mountains.  The  sight  of  about  50  officers  escaping  at  full 
speed,  followed  a  few  moments  after  by  our  hussars,  brought  the 
first  intelligence  of  the  engagement  to  Buytrago.  My  cavalry  is 
this  evening  at  St.  Augustin.  The  body  at  Sepulveda  took  refuge 
in  the  mountains,  pursued  by  our  cavalry.  They  will  probably 
retreat  upon  Segovia.  Our  loss  is  almost  inappreciable.  Only 
about  10  of  our  infantry  have  been  killed  or  wounded,  and  15 
Poles,  belonging  to  the  guard,  who  made  a  brilliant  charge. 
Come  as  fast  as  you  can,  but  bring  your  guard  with  you  as  a  pro 
tection  against  the  banditti,  of  whom  a  few  are  to  be  found  wan 
dering  about  the  mountains.  You  will  find  annexed  the  Madrid 
Gazette  of  the  29th. 


[  459.]  NAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

Chamartin,  Dec.  5, 18084 

My  Brother, — You  must  take  steps  to  organise  a  foreign  regi 
ment,  under  the  name  of  "  The  Royal  Foreign  Regiment  of 

*  From  Soria,  which  they  reached  on  the  23rd,  to  Agreda,,  is  35  miles  of 
mountain.  It  was  impossible  that  they  could  the  same  day  reach  Agreda. — ED 

t  Somo  Sierra  is  the  crest  of  the  Guadarrama  chain  which  separates  Ola 
and  New  Castile.  Sepulveda  is  a  village  on  the  northern  foot  of  the  moun 
tain,  Buytrago  on  the  south.  St.  Augustin  is  about  half-way  between  Buy 
trago  and  Madrid.  Joseph  slept  there  .on  the  first  night  of  his  flight  from 
Madrid.— TK. 

J  Joseph  was  then  in  the  royal  country  residence  of  Pardo,  a  few  miles 


378  SPAIN.— JOSEPH'S  GUAKD.-REVENUE.  CHAP.  XII. 

Spain."  There  should  be  included  in  this  regiment  all  the  Aus- 
trians,  Prussians,  and  Italians  who  have  passed  the  last  ten  years 
in  Spain.  Begin  by  forming  a  battalion.  Appoint  as  colonel  one 
of  the  chief  officers  of  your  guard,  and  as  general  Salligny,  or 
one  of  your  aides-de-camp.  Choose  for  them  a  chef-de-bataillon 
and  six  captains  out  of  your  guard,  and  the  requisite  number  of 
sergeants.  Such  a  cadre  may  be  sufficient  for  1200  men  :  there 
are  enough  in  Madrid  for  the  purpose.  This  battalion  may  parade 
to-morrow  at  noon  in  the  court  of  the  palace.  They  can  be  sup 
plied  with  arms  out  of  those  seized  when  Madrid  was  disarmed. 
You  should  give  them  cartridges,  and  send  them  to  the  Escurial 
to  complete  their  organisation.  As  soon  as  the  1st  battalion  is 
formed,  you  should  begin  a  2nd,  then  a  3rd,  and  then  a  4th. 
This  royal  foreign  regiment  of  Spain  will  thus  be  composed  of 
four  battalions,  each  consisting  of  six  companies,  each  company 
containing  200  men,  and  each  battalion  1200 :  in  the  whole  4800 
men.  One  of  the  advantages  of  this  will  be  to  clear  off  the 
crowd  of  strangers  who  swarm  in  Madrid,  and  who  may  be  put  to 
some  use  when  they  are  provided  with  officers  and  non-com 
missioned  officers  out  of  your  guard.  You  should  immediately 
reorganise  your  guard.  Let  each  regiment  be  composed  of  four 
battalions,  and  each  battalion  of  four  companies  containing  200 
men ;  you  have  already  the  cadres.  Thus  your  guard  will  con 
sist  of  3200  men.  Admit  no  one  into  it  except  the  French  con 
scripts  whom  I  have  ordered  from  Paris  and  Bayonne,  and  French 
soldiers  who,  either  as  prisoners  with  Dupont  or  otherwise,  have 
been  for  less  than  a  year  in  the  Spanish  service.  Of  these  you 
may  be  sure.  There  are  already  several  hundred  of  them  here. 
Look  for  some  barracks  in  the  environs  of  Madrid,  in  which  they 
may  be  collected. 

[460.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Chamartin,  Dec.  12, 1808. 

My.  Brother, — Send  agents  into  the  provinces  to  seize  the 
funds   of   every  town   and   village  in  that  part  of  Cuenga,  La 

from  Madrid.     Chamartin  is  a  villa  near  the  gate  of  Madrid.     The  French 
troops  had  entered  Madrid  the  day  before,  that  is,  on  the  4th. — TR. 


DEC.  1808.  NAPOLEONS  INSTRUCTIONS.  .  379 

Mancha,  Castile,  Segovia,  and  Talavera  de  la  Reyna,  into  which 
we  have  entered.     There  is  money  everywhere. 


[461.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Chamartin,  Dec.  18, 1808. 

My  Brother, — M.  Cabarus  declaims,  but  proposes  no  measures. 
I  can  find  only  13  millions  in  the  public  exchequer,  and  11  mil 
lions  in  the  caisse  de  consolidation  and  others,  which  makes  alto 
gether  24  millions,  and,  with  the  eight  that  you  brought,  32  mil 
lions  .  You  must  make  use  of  them  either  through  the  capitalists 
in  Madrid,  or  by  any  other  means.  It  is  for  the  Minister  of 
Finance  to  find  out  the  way.  Here  is  already  a  fortnight  passed, 
and  these  moments  are  the  most  precious,  as  force  may  now  be 
employed.  You  should  therefore  procure  about  30  million  reals 
in  specie,  without  losing  a  minute. 


[462.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Chamartin,  Dec.  22, 1808. 

My  Brother, — I  send  you  several  memoranda,  which  I  wish 
you  to  read  with  attention,  and  to  use  as  rules.  Send  a  brigadier- 
general  belonging  to  your  suite  to  Guadalaxara,  to  take  the  com 
mand  of  the  corps  which  is  there,  and  to  correspond  directly  with 
you  on  all  that  happens.  If  Rumn's  division  has  not  arrived  by 
this  evening,  send  out  on  the  Toledo  road  to  discover  what  has 
become  of  it. 

THE  EMPEROR'S  INSTRUCTIONS. 

Madrid,  Dec.  22,  1808. 

The  Emperor,  with  a  force  equal  to  that  which  he  has  left 
under  the  King,  but  somewhat  inferior  in  cavalry,  is  marching 
on  Valladolid.  The  advanced  posts  will  perhaps  be  in  Medina 
del  Campo  to-day,  and  Marshal  Ney's  head-quarters  will  be  at 
Arevalo. 

The  Emperor  will  probably  sleep  at  Villa  Castin.  The  ma 
noeuvre  of  the  English  is  extraordinary.  It  is  known  that  they 


.  SPAIN.  -NAPOLEON'S  INSTRUCTIONS.  CHAP.  XII. 

have  left  Salamanca.  It  is  probable  that  they  have  sent  for 
their  transports  to  Ferrol,  on  the  supposition  that  they  cannot 
safely  retire  .on  Lisbon,  as  from  Talavera  we  can  occupy  the 
left*  bank  of  the  Tagus,  and  exclude  them  from  the  river; 
besides  which  Peniche  has  no  harbour.  With  all  their  cavalry, 
they  cannot  embark  except  from  a  good  port  protected  by  a 
fortress.  Everything  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  they  are  leav 
ing  Portugal,  and  taking  Ferrol,  which  gives  them  these  advan 
tages,  for  the  base  of  their  line  of  operation. 

But  while  thus  retreating  they  may  hope  to  strike  a  blow  at 
Marshal  Soult,f  and  they  may  not  have  made  that  attempt  until 
they  had  secured  their  retreat  by  its  natural  road  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Douro.  They  may  also  have  reasoned  thus  :  1st.  If 
the  French  entangle  themselves  with  Lisbon  we  shall  retreat  on 
Oporto,  and  be  still  on  our  natural  road  to  Ferrol.  2ndly.  They 
may  hope  for  reinforcements.  But  whatever  be  the  conduct  of 
the  English,  it  will  produce  events  which  will  have  a  great  influ 
ence  on  all  that  is  to  come. 

The  only  object  of  the  King  ought  to  be  to  keep  Madrid. 
All  the  rest  is  unimportant.  All  that  remains  of  the  Spanish 
armies  cannot  stand  before  the  8000  cavalry  left  with  him. 

The  army  which  covers  Madrid  defends  the  Tagus,  the  right 
leaning  on  Talavera,  and  the  left  towards  the  head  of  the  river 
Guadalaxara.  The  enemy  can  advance  only  by  Estremadura, 
and  the  Duke  of  Dantzic  has  there  the  force  which  is  necessary 
to  resist  him.  If,  as  I  ordered,  the  Duke  beats  him  on  the  24th 
and  disperses  him,  the  Duke's  corps  will  be  quite  at  our  disposal. 
"After  the  battle  he  should  make  a  tete-de-pont  at  Almaraz,  leave 
there  Lasalle's  division  and  some  light  infantry,  and  return  with 
the  rest  of  his  infantry  to  Talavera  to  take  part  in  the  general 
manoeuvres  which  the  Emperor  will  direct  towards  Avila  and 
Ciudad  Rodrigo,  or  he  may  march  towards  Toledo  or  Madrid  if 
the  King  should  require  him  to  protect  the  capital. 

The  enemy  may  come  from  Andalusia ;   our  posts  have  been 

*  I  suspect  that  this  ought  to  be  the  right  bank. — TR. 
f  This  was  in  fact  the  object  of  Sir  John  Moore's  march  to  Sahagun. — TR. 


DEC.  1808.  NAPOLEON'S  INSTRUCTIONS. 

pushed  as  far  as  Manzanares,  the  plain  of  La  Mancha  is  empty, 
and  the  enemy  appeared  to  have  done  nothing  on  this  side  the 
Sierra  Morena.  At  the  worst,  Marshal  Victor,  with  the  divisions 
of  Latour  Maubourg,  Rumn,  and  Villate,  is  strong  enough  to 
resist  anything  which  may  come  either  from  Andalusia  or  Ta- 
rancon  by  Cuenza.  It  seems  that  there  is  a  Spanish  division  in 
the  mountains  of  Cuenza  covering  Valencia.  I  think  that  Mar 
shal  Victor  may  give  some  light  companies  to  the  brigade  of 
dragoons  which  is  at  Tarancon.  The  position  of  Aranjuez  is 
very  favourable.  It  is  the  true  point  for  opposing  anything 
advancing  either  from  Cuenca  or  from  Andalusia.  If  E-uffin's 
division  marches  to  support  Marshal  Victor,  it  would  not  be 
prudent  to  leave  Madrid  with  only  Leval's  division.  It  would 
become  necessary  to  retreat  by  two  marches  towards  Madrid,  and 
he  would  have  been  ordered  to  do  so  after  he  had  fought  his 
battle,  if  I  had  not  considered  that  there  is  still  time,  and  that 
all  may  be  changed  by  the  events  of  the  next  few  days,  and  if  a 
retreat  were  not  in  itself  always  mischievous.  If  Talavera  were 
evacuated  by  us,  and  entered  by  the  enemy,  the  effect  would 
be  bad;  but  this  consideration  must  not  stop  us  in  a  case  of 
necessity.  There  will,  however,  be  no  such  necessity  while  the 
Emperor  leaves  troops  below  Madrid. 

As  to  Madrid,  there  are  5  short  pieces,  with  their  carriages ; 
they  must  be  placed  in  battery.  Something  has  been  done  to  the 
fortifications ;  it  is  essential  that  they  should  be  actively  carried 
on.  The  establishments  and  magazines  must  be  placed  in  the 
Porcelaine,  the  clothing  made  up  quickly,  and  the  Retire  pro 
visioned  for  4000  or  5000  men  for  a  month.  If  the  engineers 
do  their  duty,  and  are  well  supported,  in  ten  days  the  Porcelaine 
ought  to  be  in  a  state  to  enable  the  3000  Germans  to  shut 
themselves  up  in  it,  and  with  a  resolute  commander  to  hold  it 
against  all  the  armies  of  Spain  for  eight  or  ten  days  until  they 
are  relieved. 

The  King,  going  from  the  Pardo  along  the  outside  of  the 
town,  will  do  well  to  look  at  the  magazine,  and  in  two  or  three 
days  he  may  visit  the  Retiro,  always  keeping  on  the  outside  of 
the  town. 


382  SPAIN.— NAPOLEON'S  INSTRUCTIONS.  CHAP.  XII. 

The  signing  the  registers  must  be  continued.*  The  measures 
ordered  by  the  Emperor  should  be  actively  continued,  such  as 
putting  into,  the  Retiro  the  furniture  from  the  houses  of  those 
who  have  been  condemned,  and  the  inquiry  as  to  their  property  : 
the  making  up  of  the  clothing,  and  the  establishing  the  magazines 
in  the  Retiro,  must  be  pushed  on. 

With  respect  to  the  clothing  for  the  King's  troops,  the  Em 
peror  has  ordered  1200  coats  and  red  trowsers,  hats,  &c.,  to  be 
put  at  the  disposal  of  General  Salligny  to  clothe  the  foreign 
Spanish  battalions,  and  400  white  coats,  trowsers,  &c.,  to  be 
collected  in  the  Escurial  for  the  recruits  of  the  royal  guard. 
They  may  be  taken  immediately,  and  the  recruits  dressed  in 
them,  to  give  the  guard  in  the  Escurial  a  good  appearance. 
Supposing  these  bodies  clothed  and  armed  and  officered,  they 
may  be  useful  at  once,  at  least  to  keep  up  communications  :  150 
men  might  be  placed  at  the  Puerte  de  Guadarrama,  150  at  the 
post  now  held  by  the  pickets  of  gendarmerie,  150  halfway  be 
tween  Guadarrama  and  Yilla-Castin,  and  150  at  Villa  Castin, 
making  altogether  600  men.  The  King  may  also  place  150  men 
and  half  a  company  of  cavalry  halfway  between  Guadarrama 
and  Segovia,  in  order  to  hear  frequently  from  Segovia,  which  will 
be  the  depot  of  our  wounded  and  prisoners.  In  these  posts  there 
are  6  gendarmes  d'elite,  whom  the  troops  will  support.  They 
should  be  distinguished  from  the  Spaniards  by  some  peculiarity 
of  uniform,  such  as  a  white  stripe  on  the  arm.  The  rest  may 
keep  guard  over  the  Escurial,  and  from  the  return  which  will  be 
made  to  the  chief  of  the  staff  400  may  be  deducted  as  belonging 
to  the  King's  guard. 

The  King  must  have  at  the  Pardo  half  the  infantry  of  his 
guard,  his  cavalry,  and  his  artillery.  If  he  can  join  to  it  400 
men  from  the  above-mentioned  regiment,!  this  will  give  him  at 
the  Pardo  a  little  reserve  of  2000  men,  which  must  be  of  use. 

ADMINISTRATION. 

Measures  must  be  taken  to  provision  the  magazines  of  Madrid, 
to  have  in  them  12,000  quintals  of  flour ;  when  it  is  sure  that  we 

*  Containing  the  list  of  those  who  adhered  to  Joseph. — TR. 
f  Apparently  the  Spanish  foreign  regiment. — TR. 


DEC.  1808.  MARCH  ON  SIR  JOHN  MOORE. 

shall  reach  Valladolid,  20,000  rations  of  bread  must  be  sent  to 
them,  and  20,000  rations  of  biscuit  be  placed  in  the  Porcelaine. 
The  King  will  order  to  Segovia  one  of  his  officers,  who  will  send 
every  day,  by  way  of  Villa-Castin,  5000  rations  of  bread  and 
2000  rations  of  wine  or  brandy  to  the  army.  The  King  must 
send  to-morrow  an  aide-de-camp  to  Marshal  Victor  at  Aranjuez, 
one  to  G-eneral  Latour  Maubourg,  and  one  to  the  Duke  of  Dantzic 
at  Talavera.  It  will  be  proper  to  keep  25  cavalry  and  50  infan 
try  as  a  post  of  observation  between  Alcala  and  Madrid. 

There  is  a  depot  of  cavalry  at  Leganes ;  all  the  detachments 
of  cavalry  which  reach  the  army  must  be  collected  there ;  in  less 
than  a  week  more  than  1000  cavalry  belonging  to  the  divisions 
of  Milhaud,  Lasalle,  Latour  Maubourg,  and  Lahoussaye  will  ar 
rive  there.  They  must  be  allowed  to  rest,  reviewed,  and  kept  till 
further  orders.  By  placing  one  of  his  aides-de-camp  at  the  head 
of  this  force,  the  King  will  obtain  in  a  few  days  1200  cavalry. 

As  for  the  unembodied  men,  there  are  5  depots  for  them  in 
the  Retiro.  All  the  infantry  and  cavalry  belonging  to  Marshal 
Soult  will  be  sent  to  Segovia.  Several  generals  will  reach  Ma 
drid  ;  their  destinations  are  annexed.  No  detachment  must  be 
sent  off  to  Aranjuez,  to  the  Duke  of  Dantzic's  corps,  or  to  any 
other  corps  :  2000  men  will  thus  be  collected  at  the  Retire.  The 
return  of  them  must  be  sent  to  the  chief  of  the  staff,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  those  belonging  to  Ruffin's  division,  they  will  be 
despatched  as  the  Emperor  will  direct,  taking  care  that  they  be 
well  clothed,  armed,  and  equipped,  and  have  their  50  cartridges 
per  man. 

[  463.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Villa  Castin,  Dec.  23, 1&08. 

My  Brother, — I  have  crossed  the  Guadarrama  with  a  portion 
of  my  guard,  and  in  very  unpleasant  weather.  My  guard  is  to 
sleep  to-night  at  Villa  Castin.  Marshal  Ney  is  at  Medina.  It 
seems  that  the  English  are  at  Valladolid,*  probably  with  only  a 
vanguard,  and  that  the  rest  of  their  army  is  in  position  at  Zamora 

*  This  was  an  error. — ED. 


384  SPAIN.— THE  ENGLISH  ARMY.  CHAP.  XII. 

and  Benevento.  It  appears  that  they  have  established  their  line 
of  operations  in  Corunna. 

You  will  -have  seen  in  your  instructions  that  Madrid  is  your 
principal  object.  Ruffin's  division  ought  to  have  arrived.  Order 
it  to  be  put  into  the  Madrid  newspapers  that  20,000  English  are 
surrounded  and  lost ;  insert  also  the  annexed  letter,*  which  will 
show  the  Spaniards  how  they  are  treated  by  their  dear  allies ;  and 
add  some  remarks  upon  those  who  called  the  English  into  Spain, 
which  is  thus  ravaged  both  by  her  enemies  and  by  her  friends. 

I  have  ordered  that  all  the  unembodied  men,  the  convoys,  &c., 
at  Bosequillas,  proceed  to  Segovia,  which  is  becoming  the  centre 
of  the  army's  operations. 

I  conclude  that  Marshal  the  Duke  of  Dantzic  will  attack  to 
morrow  the  enemy's  force  which  is  before  him,  take  their  guns, 
and  pursue  them  with  the  cavalry ;  when  this  is  done,  he  may  be 
directed  on  any  other  point. 

The  2nd  regiment  of  dragoons,  and  the  2nd  battalion  of  the 
55th,  which  were  sent  to  G-uadalaxara,  require  an  intelligent  com 
mander.  If  threatened,  they  may  retire  on  Alcala.  The  weather 
is  somewhat  cold. 

Take  care  of  the  post  by  La  Rosas  and  Gruadarrama,  that  we 
may  be  able  to  communicate.  This  little  town  has  behaved  well. 
Most  of  the  inhabitants  have  remained. 


[464.]  NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Tordesillas,  Dec.  27, 1808,  8  A.  M. 

My  Brother, — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  24th.  Ber- 
thier  is  writing  to  you.  If  the  enemy  should  make  a  movement, 
it  will  probably  be  on  the  side  of  Cuenza.  You  can  detain  him 
as  long  as  you  like  when  he  attempts  to  cross  the  Tagus,  which  is 
without  a  bridge  in  all  its  upper  stream  ;  the  enemy  has  nothing 
which  can  resist  the  division  of  Latour  Maubourg  and  those  of 
Villate  and  Ruffin.  I  think  that  you  will  soon  receive  2000  un 
embodied  soldiers  belonging  to  the  different  corps  which  have  just 

*  This  letter  does  not  appear. — TB. 


Duo.  1808.  INSTEUCTIONS  TO  JOSEPH.  335 

reached  Madrid.  You  should  form  them  into  provisional  regi 
ments,  and  use  them  to  hold  the  Retiro.  I  suppose  that  the  Duke 
of  Dantzic  beat  the  enemy  on  the  24th,  and  that  on  the  26th  he 
will  have  returned  to  Talavera.  Order  him  to  come  to  Toledo 
with  Sebastiani's  and  Milhaud's  divisions.  You  can  then,  in  case 
of  any  movement,  assemble  at  ^.ranjuez  the  divisions  of  Sebasti- 
ani,  Ruffin,  and  Villate,  those  of  Latour  Maubourg  and  of  Mil- 
haud,  the  26th  chasseurs,  and  the  3d  hussars.  This  is  more  than 
is  wanted.  In  case  it  should  be  necessary  to  assemble  these 
troops  at  Aranjuez,  the  division  of  Valence  should  approach 
nearer  Madrid,  and  General  Lasalle,  supported  by  four  compa 
nies  of  voltigeurs,  should  keep  the  bridge  of  Almaraz.  This  seems 
the  most  natural  arrangement.  General  Lucotte  has,  I  suppose, 
posts  of  observation  along  the  Tagus  at  the  different  ferries. 
General  Lahoussaye  has  entered  Yalladolid.  The  enemy  has  not 
appeared  there  since  a  week  ago,  when  he  sent  an  expedition  of 
100  men  to  carry  off  the  intendants  and  300,000  reals;  he  after 
wards  sent  back  the  intendants.  Marshal  Soult  is  at  Carrion ;  the 
English  are  in  front  of  him.  I,  with  all  the  troops  that  have 
come  from  Madrid,  am  on  the  right  of  the  English.  Their  num 
bers  appear  to  be  about  36,000.  I  shall  reach  Medina  de  Rio 
Seco  to-day ;  and  either  to-day  or  to-morrow  great  events  will 
probably  take  place.  If  the  English  have  not  already  retreated, 
they  are  lost;*  and  if  they  retire,  they  will  be  pursued  so  vigor 
ously  to  their  ships,  that  half  of  them  will  never  re-embark.  I 
have  already  ordered  no  more  bread  to  be  sent  to  us.  A  small 
quantity  of  biscuit  should  be  made  and  conveyed  upon  waggons  to 
the  other  divisions.  La  Porcelainef  must,  above  all,  be  supplied 
with  provisions.  Put  into  the  newspapers,  and  spread  in  every 
direction,  the  report  that  36,000  English  are  surrounded,  that  I 
am  at  Benevento  J  upon  their  rear,  whilst  Marshal  Soult  is  in 

*  Sir  John  Moore  began  his  retreat  from  Sahagun  on  the  evening  of  the 
24th.— TR. 

f  La  China,  a  royal  porcelain  manufactory,  converted  by  the  French  into 
a  fortress,  mounting,  when  taken  by  us  in  1812,  200  guns. — TR. 

|  At  this  time,  and  indeed  for  two  days  longer,  Sir  John  Moore  was  at 
Benevento. — TR. 

VOL.  L— 17 


386  PURSUIT  OF  THE  ENGLISH.  CHAP.  XII. 

front  of  them.  If  the  enemy  makes  any  serious  attempt  on  Aran- 
juez,  celebrate  my  victory  over  the  English,  fire  the  cannons  and 
receive  congratulations.  The  news  will  soon  reach  you. 

Send  to  me  1000  copies  of  my  proclamation,  and  an  equal 
number  of  the  newspapers  which  have  appeared  at  Madrid  since 
your  return.  Give  to  Marshal  Victor  the  command  of  General 
Lucotte's  corps  of  observation. 


[  465.]  NAPOI.EON  TO  JOSEPH, 

Benevento,  Dec.  81, 1808. 

My  Brother, — My  vanguard  is  near  Astorga.  The  English 
are  running  away  as  fast  as  they  can,  abandoning  ammunition, 
drums,  and  baggage.  There  are  more  than  200  carriages  on  the 
Astorga  road.  Marshal  Soult  has  beaten  3000  men  of  Romana's 
at  Mancilla,  taken  1500  prisoners,  &c.,  and  2  standards.  This 
success  was  the  work  of  Franceschi  and  his  cavalry ;  he  was  to 
enter  Leon  yesterday,  and  march  upon  Astorga.  The  English 
have  not  only  cut  the  bridges,  but  have  undermined  and  blown  up 
the  arches ;  a  barbarous  and  unusual  use  of  the  rights  of  war,  as 
it  ruins  the  country  to  no  purpose :  they  are  therefore  abhorred 
by  everybody.  They  have  carried  off  every  thing,  oxen,  mat 
tresses,  blankets,  and  then  maltreated  and  beaten  the  inhabitants. 
There  could  not  have  been  a  better  sedative  for  Spain  than  to 
send  to  her  an  English  army.  The  newspapers  should  make  the 
most  of  this.  Let  Urquijo  insert  in  them  some  letters,  purport 
ing  to  be  written  from  Valderas,  Sanaguer,  Benevento,  and  from 
the  convents  from  which  they  turned  out  the  monks.  Their  rob 
beries  are  indescribable. 

Their  real  force  amounts  from  20,000  to  21,000  foot,  and 
between  4000  and  5000  horse,  with  about  40  pieces  of  cannon. 
They  ought  to  be  grateful  to  the  mountain  of  Guadarrama  and  to 
the  horrible  mud  for  opposing  our  progress. 

The  Dutch  brigade  ought  to  have  reached  Madrid. 

If  it  should  be  still  at  Aranda,  order  it  immediately  to  repair 
thither.  A  Hessian  battalion  ought  to  be  at  Segovia ;  repeat 
the  order  for  it  to  proceed  to  Madrid.  You  were  right  to  retain 
the  battalion  of  the  43rd.  The  Commandant  of  Toledo  lost  his 


DEC.  1808.  PURSUIT  OF  THE  ENGLISH.  gg7 

head  when  he  evacuated  the  town  for  no  reason :  what  he  saw 
on  his  rear  was  a  troop  of  peasants,  who  made  a  riot,  taking 
advantage  of  the  Duke  of  Dantzic's  negligence  in  having  no 
posts  at  Talavera.  Dessolles's  division  is  returning  to  Madrid; 
if  you  are  in  no  hurry  for  it,  let  it  remain  for  two  or  three  days 
at  Villa  Castin,  to  get  into  order  and  to  rest.  I  have  no  news 
from  Saragossa.  General  Lefebvre,  in  command  of  the  chas 
seurs  of  my  guard,  has  allowed  himself  to  be  taken  prisoner.  I 
had  sent  him  with  a  detachment  of  chasseurs  to  reconnoitre, 
desiring  him  to  run  no  risks.  He  crossed  the  river  opposite 
Benevento,  and  found  there  3000  British  horse,  he  charged 
them,  killed  a  great  many,  but  was  forced  to  yield  to  numbers. 
In  attempting  to  recross  the  river  his  horse  was  wounded,  and 
he  was  drowning,  when  two  of  the  English  saved  him.  This 
affair  has  cost  me  60  of  my  chasseurs,  wounded,  killed,  and 
taken  prisoners.  You  may  conceive  how  much  it  has  annoyed 
me.  In  the  evening  I  brought  8000  cavalry  to  the  spot ;  but 
the  English  were  far  away.  We  find  already  that  my  procla 
mations  are  useful  in  the  provinces.  You  should  send  several 
thousands  of  them  to  Leon,  Salamanca,  and  Yalladolid.  You 
must  order  some  pamphlets  to  be  written  in  Spanish,  describing 
the  state  of  Spain  abandoned  to  the  treachery  of  the  English. 
They  cannot  be  too  much  abused,  for  everybody  is  displeased 
with  them.  Make  a  great  noise  about  the  addresses  from  the 
city  of  Madrid.  I  think  Madrid  should  send  deputations 
to  Yalladolid,  Salamanca,  Leon,  Segovia,  Guadalaxara,  and 
Toledo,  to  engage  those  towns  to  follow  its  example.  Madrid 
should  address  all  the  provinces,  and  send  deputations  to  Seville 
and  Valencia  as  soon  as  the  other  towns  have  been  excited. 
Twenty-two  marching  companies,  making  in  the  whole  3000  men, 
have  reached  Madrid. 


[466.]  NAPOLEON  TO  Fou CHE. 

Benevento,  Dec,  31,  1808. 

I  am  informed  that  in  some  of  the  families  of  emigrants 
the  children  are  withdrawn  from  the  conscription,  and  brought 
up  in  disgraceful  and  culpable  idleness.  It  is  certain  that  the 


FEENCH  EMIGEANT  FAMILIES.  CHAP.  XII. 

ancient  and  opulent  families  who  do  not  support  the  present 
system  oppose  it.  I  wish  you  to  make  a  list  of  10  of  the  prin 
cipal  families  of  this  description  in  each  of  the  departments, 
and  of  50  such  families  in  Paris,  stating  the  fortune,  the  age,  and 
the  occupation  of  each  member.  I  intend  to  issue  a  decree 
ordering  all  the  young  men  in  these  families  between  the  ages 
of  16  and  18  to  be  sent  to  the  military  school  of  St.  Cyr.  If 
any  objection  be  made,  give  no  answer,  except  that  such  is  my 
pleasure.  The  generation  that  is  to  come  ought  not  to  suffer  for 
the  animosities  and  petty  passions  of  this.  If  you  have  to  cor 
respond  with  the  prefects  on  this  subject,  use  this  language.* 

*  Thiers,  tome  x.  p.  109. 

I  have  inserted  this  letter  as  characteristic  of  Napoleon  and  of  his  system  of 
government  at  this  time. — TK. 


END   OF   TOL.   I. 


A   LIST 


WORKS 


IN 


A  T  U  B  E 


E  N  E  R,  A  JL     JL,  I  T  E 

PUBLISHED  BY 

D.   APPLETON    &    COMPANY, 

346  &  348  Broadway. 
%*  Complete  Catalogues,  containing  full  descriptions,  to  ~be  had  on  application  te 


the  Publishers. 


Agriculture  and  Kural  A/f'  rs. 

Boiissingault's  Rural  Economy,         .        .         .     1  25 
The  Poultry  Book,  illustrated,  .  .     5  00 

vVaring's  Elements  of  Agriculture,  .         75 

Arts,  Manufactures,  and     .rchitec- 
ture. 

Appleton'g  Dictionary  of  Mechanic*      vol».    .  12  00 
"  Mechanics'  Magazine,      tola.  each,    3  50 

Allen's  Philosophy  of  Mechanics       .        . 
Arnot's  Gothic  Architecture 
Bassnett's  Theory  of  Storms,    .        .        . 
Bourne  on  the  Steam  Engine 
Byrne  on  Logarithms, 
Chapman  on  the  American  Rifle,      .        . 
Coming's  Preservation  of  Health,    .. 
Culhmi  on  Military  Bridges 
Downing'g  Country  Houses 
Field'*  City  Architecture,         .         .        . 
G  riffith's  Marine  Architecture!,  .         . 

Gilluspie's  Treatise  on  Surveying,   .        . 
Haupt's  Theory  of  Bridge  Construction,  . 
Henck's  Field-Book  for  R.  Road  Engineers, 
Hoblyn's  Dictionary  of  Scientific  Terms, 
Huff's  Ma 


anual  of  Electro-Physiology, 
Jeft'ers'  Practice  of  Naval  Gunnery, 
Knapen'g  Mechanics'  Assistant,        . 
Lafever's  Modern  Architecture,        . 
Lyell's  Manual  of  Geology,      .        . 
"       Principles  of  Geology,  .        . 
Reynold's  Treatise  on  Handrailing, 
Templelon's  Mechanic's  Companion, 
Ure's  Dict'ry  of  Arts,  Manufactures,  &«.  2volg.  5  00 
Youmans'  Class-  Book  of  Chemistry.         .        .        75 
"         Atlas  of  Chemistry,  cloth,       .        .    2  00 
Alcohol,    ......        60 


3  50 

4  00 
1  00 

75 
1  00 

1  25 
75 

2  00 
4  00 

2  00 
1000 

3  00 
1  75 
1  50 

1  25 

2  50 
1  00 

4  '  0 

1  75 

2  25 
2  00 
1  00 


Biography. 

Arnold's  Life  and  Correspondence,   .        .        , 
Capt.  Canot,  or  Twenty  Years  of  a  Saver,      . 
Coiuin's  De  Longueville,  ..... 

Croswell's  Memoirs,  ...... 

Evelyn's  Life  of  Godolphin  ..... 

Garland's  Life  of  Randolph,      .        .        .        . 

Gilfillan's  Gallery  of  Portraits.  2d  Serie*,         . 

Hernan  Cortez's  Life,          .        . 

Hull's  Civil  and  Military  Life,  .        .        .        . 

Life  and  Adventures  of  Daniel  Boone,      .        . 
Life  of  Henry  Hudson.     ..... 

Life  of  Capt.  John  Smith,          .... 

Moore's  Life  of  George  Castriot,       .         .         . 
Napoleon's  Memoirs.  By  Duchess  D'Abranteu, 
NaiK'leon.  By  Laurent  L'Ardeche,  .         .         . 
Pinkney  (W.)  Lite.  By  his  Nephew,       .         . 
Partv  Lenders  :  Lives  of  Jefferson,  Ac.  .         . 
Southey'o  Life  of  Oliver  Cromwell,          .        . 
Wynne's  Lives  of  Eminent  Men.      .        .        . 

Webiter's  Life  and  Memorials.  2  vols.    .        . 


2  00 
125 

1  00 

2  00 
50 

1  50 

1  00 

38 

I  00 


38 

1  00 
4  00 
3  00 

2  00 
1  00 


Books  of  General  Utility. 

tona'  Southern  and  Western  Guide,        .     100 
Northern  and  Eastern  Guide,         .     1  25 


Appletons'  Complete  U.  S.  Guide,  . 

"  _      Map  of  N.  Y.  City, 
American  Practical  Cook  Book, 
A  Treatise  on  Artificial  Fish-Breeding,    . 
Chemistry  of  Common  Life.  2  vols.  limo. 
Cooley's  Book  of  Useful  Knowledge, 
Cust's  Invalid's  Own  Book,      . 
Delisser's  Interest  Tables, 


»  00 
25 


.  25 
50 

400 

The  English  Cyclopaedia,  per  vol.  .  .  .  2  50 

Miles  on  the  Horse's  Foot,  ....  25 

The  Nursery  Basket.  A  Book  for  Young  Motheri,  38 

Pell's  Guide  for  the  Young,  ....  38 

Reid's  New  English  Dictionary,  .  .  .  1  00 

Stewart's  Stable  Economy.  .  .  .  .  1  00 

Spalding's  Hist,  of  English  Literature,  .  .  1  00 

Soyer's  Modern  Cookery 1  00 

The  Successful  Merchant,  .  .  .  .  1  00 

Thomson  on  Food  of  Animals,  ....  50 

Commerce  and  Mercantile  Affairs. 

Anderson's  Mercantile  Correspondence,  .        .  1  00 

Delisser's  Interest  Table-.,        .        .        .        .  4  00 

Merchants'  Reference  Book.     .        .        .        .  4  00 
Gates'  (Geo.)  Interest  Tables  at  6  Per  Cent. 

per  Annum.  8vo 2  00 

"           '«        Do.    do.    Abridged  edition,    .  1  25 

"           "        7  Per  Cent.  Interest  Tables,    .  2  00 

"            "        Abridged 1  25 

Smith's  Mercantile  Law, 4  00 

Geography  and  Atlases. 

Applcton's  Modern  Atlas.   34  Maps,        .        .  3  50 

"          Complete  Atlas.    61  Maps,     .  9  00 

Atlas  of  the  Middle  Ages.    By  Koeppen,         .  4  50 
Black's  General  Atlas.   71  Maps,     .        .        .1200 

Cornell's  Primary  Geography,          ...  80 
**        Intermediate  Geography,  ... 
High  School  Geography,  ... 

History. 

Arnold's  History  of  Rome,        .        .        .        .  3  00 

"      Later  Commonwealth,        .        .        .  2  50 

"      Lectures  on  Modern  History,      .         .  1  25 

Dew's  Ancient  and  Modern  History, 

Koeppen's  History  of  the  Middle  Ages.  2  vols. 
™         The  same,  folio,  with  Maps,    . 

Kohlrausch's  History  of  Germany,  . 

Mahon's  (Lord)  History  of  England,  2  vols.    . 

Michelet's  History  of  France,  2  vols. 

"          History  of  the  Roman  Republic,     . 

Rowan's  History  of  the  French  Revolution,    . 

Sprague's  History  of  the  Florida  War,    . 

Taylor's  Manual  of  Ancient  History, 


Manual  of  Modern  History, 
Manual  of  History.   1  vof   complete, 
rated, 


. 
Thiers'  French  Revolution.  4  vols.  Illustra 


Illustrated  Works  for  Presenti 

Bryant's  Poems.    16  Illnstrationi.  Svo.  cloth,  . 

«  «  cloth,  gilt,  .        60 

«  "  "  nu  r.  antique        00 


D.  Appleton  &  Company's  List  of  New  Works. 


Gem»  of  British  Art.  30  Engravings.  1  vol.  4to. 

morocco, 18  00 

Gray's  Elegy.  Illustrated.  8vo.        .        .        .    1  50 

Goldsmith's  Deserted  Village,          .        .        .  1  50 

The  Homes  of  American  Authors.  With  Illus 
trations,  cloth, 4  00 

'       .  cloth,  gilt,  5  00 
"         mor.  antqe.    7  00 

The  Holy  Gospels.  With  40  Design*  by  Over- 
beck.  1  vol.  folio.  Antique  mor.        .        .  20  00 

Ths  Land  of  Bondage.  By  J.  M.  Wainwright, 

D.  D.   Morocco, .  6  00 

The  Queens  of  England.  By  Agnes  Strickland. 

With  -29  Portraits.  Antique  mor.      .        .  10  00 

?he  Ornaments  of  Memory.  With  18  Illustra 
tions.   4to.  cloth,  gilt 6  00 

tt           Morocco,     .        .  10  00 
I  Royal  Gems  from  the   Galleries  of  Europe. 

'  40  Engravings, 25  00 

The  Republican  Court ;  or,  American  Society 
in  the  Days  of  Washington.  21  Portrait*. 

Antique  mor 12  00 

The  Vernon  Gallery.  67  Engrav'gs.  4to.  Ant.  25  00 

The  Women  of  the  Bible.    With  18  Engrav 
ings.  Mor.  antique, 10  00 

Wilkie  Gallery.   Containing  60  Splendid  En 
gravings.  4to.  Antique  rnor.     .        .        .  25  00 

A  Winter  Wreath  of  Summer  Flowers.     By 

S.  G.  Goodrich.  Illustrated.   Cloth,  gilt,  .  3  10 

Juvenile  Books. 

A  Poetry  Book  for  Children,    ....  75 

Aunt  Fanny's  Christinas  Stories,      ...  50 

American  Historical  Tales,       ....  75 

UNCLE  AMEREL'S  STORY  BOOKS. 

The  Little  Gift  Book.  18mo.  cloth,  .  .  25 
The  Child's  Story  Book.  Illust.  18mo.  cloth,  25 
Summer  Holidays.  18mo.  cloth,  ...  25 
Winter  Holidays.  Illustrated.  18mo.  cloth,  .  25 
George's  Adventures  in  the  Country.  Illustra 
ted.  18mo.  cloth. 25 

Christinas  Stories.  Illustrated.  18mo.  cloth,  .  25 

Book  of  Trades, 60 

Boys  at  Home    By  the  Author  of  Edgar  Clifton,  75 

Child's  Cheerful  Companion,             f  60 

Child's  Picture  and  Verse  Book.  100  Engs.      .  60 

COUSIN  ALICE'S  WORKS. 

All's  Not  Gold  that  Glitters,     .  75 

Contentment  Better  than  Wealth,    ...  63 

Nothing  Venture,  Nothing  Have,     ...  63 

No  such  Word  as  Fail,    ?        .        .  63 

Patient  Waiting  No  Loss,          ....  63 

Dash  wood  Priory.     By  the  Author  of  Edgar 

Clifton, 75 

Edgar  Clifton ;  or  Right  and  Wrong,      .        .  75 

Fireside  Fairies.   By  Susan  Pindar,         .        .  63 

Gt.-d  in  Every  Thing.  By  Mrs.  Barwell,        .  50 

Leisure  Moments  Improved,     ,        ...  75 

Life  of  Punchinello 75 

LIBRARY  FOR  MY  YOUNG  COUNTRYMEN. 

Ad'  •mturfs  of  Capt.  John  Smith.  By  the  Au 
thor  of  Uncle  Philip,          ....  38 
Adventures  of  Daniel  Boone.     By  do.     .        .  38 
Dawning*  of  Genius.     By  Anne  Pratt,    .         .  3S 
Life  and  Adventures  of  Henry  Hudson.      By 

the  Author  of  Uncle  Philip,       ...  38 

Life  and  Adventures  of  Henmn  Cortex.  By  do.  38 
Philip    Randolph.    A   Tale  of  Virginia.    By 

Mary  Gertrude,          .        .        .        .    -    .  38 
Rowan's  History  of  the  French  Revolution.  2 

8»nthey's  iafa  of  Oliver  Cromwell,'        '.        '.  38 


Louis'  School-Days.  By  E.  J.  May, .        .        .  7$  j 

Louise  ;  or.  The  Beauty  of  Integrity,       .        .  2S 
Maryatt's  Settlers  in  Canada,  .       " 

Masterman  Ready 63 

u         Scenes  in  Africa,       ....  63 

Midsummer  Fays.  By  Susan  Pindar,       .        .  fig  | 

MISS  MCINTOSH'S  WORKS. 

Annt  Kitty's  Tales,  12mo.  75 
Blind  Alice  ;  A  Tale  for  Good  Children,  .  38 
Ellen  Leslie  ;  or,  The  Reward  of  Self-Control,  3S 
Florence  Arnott ;  or,  Is  She  Generous  f  .  88 
Grace  and  Clara  ;  or,  Be  Just  as  well  as  Gen 
erous,  sg 

Jessie  Graham ;  or,  Friends  Dear,  but  Truth 

Dearer, 39 

Emily  Herbert ;  or,  The  Happy  Home,   .        .  37 

Rose  and  Lillie  Stwbope,         ....  31 

Mamma's  Story  Boct, 75 

Pebbles  from  the  S€a-Shore 37 

Puss  in  Boots.  Illustrated.  By  Otto  Specter,  .  25 

PETER  PARLEY'S  WORKS. 

Faggots  for  the  Fireside, ]  13 

Parley's  Present  for  all  Seasons,      .        .        .  1  00 

Wanderers  by  Sea  and  Land,   .        .        .        .  1  13 

Winter  Wreath  of  Summer  Flowers,       .        .  3  00 

TALES  FOR  THE  PEOPLE  AND  THEIR 
CHILDREN. 

Alice  Franklin.    By  Mary  Howitt.  .        .  38 

Martineau,  .  38 


Crofton  Boys  (The).    By  Har 
Dangers  of  Dining  Out.   By  Mrs.  Ellis, 

Domestic  Tales.    By  Hannah  More.  2  vols.  .  la 

Early  Friendship.    By  Mrs.  Copley,        .        .  38 

Farmer's  Daughter  (The).    By  Mrs.  Cameron,  38 

First  Impressions.    By  Mrs.  Ellis,    ...  38 

Hope  On,  Hope  Ever !   By  Mary  Howilt,       .  38 

Little  Coin,  Much  Care.    By  do.       ...  38 

Looking-Glass  for  the  Mind.    Many  plates,    .  33 

Love  and  Money.    By  Mary  Howitt,      .        .  38 

Minister's  Family.    By  Mrs.  Ellis,  ...  33 

My  Own  Story.    By  Mary  Howitt,  ...  38 

My  Uncle,  the  Clockmaker.   By  do.        .        .  38 

No  Sense  Like  Common  Sense.   By  do.          .  38 

Peasant  and  the  Prince.    By  H.  Martineau.  .  28 

Poplar  Grove.    By  Mrs.  Copley,      ...  38 

Somerville  Hall.    By  Mrs.  Ellis,      ...  38 

Sowing  and  Reaping.    By  Alary  Howitt,          .  38 

Story  of  a  Genius 38 

Strive  and  Thrive.   By  do 38 

The  Two  Apprentices.    By  do.         .        .        .  38 

Tired  of  Housekeeping.    By  T.  S.  Arthur,     .  38 

™    ,    „._,        ,„,,    ,     „     Mrg    gandl               m  33 

,ry  Howitt,          .  38 

By  do.     ...  38 

Work  and  Wages.   By  do 38 

SECOND   8EKIE3. 

Chances  and  Changes.    By  Charles  Burdett,  .  38 

Goldmaker's  Village.    By  H.  Zschokke,          .  38 

Never  Too  Late.    Bv  Charles  Burdett,  .        .  38 
Ocean  Work,  Ancient  and  Modern.  By  J.  H. 

Wright, .  38 

Picture  Pleasure  Book,  1st  Series,  .        .    1  25 

"  "          u        2d  Series,  .        .     1  25 

Robinson  Crusoe.  300  Plates,  . 
Susun  Pindar's  Story  Book,  . 
Sunshine  of  Greystone,  . 

Travels  of  Bob  the  Squirrel,    .  37 

Wonderful  Story  Book, 60 

Willy's  First  Present, 75 

Week's  Delight ;  or,  Game  i  and  Stories  for  the 

Parlor, 76 

William  Tell,  the  Hero  of  Switzerland, .        .  50 

Young  Student.     By  Madame  Guizot,      .  75 


Twin  Sisters  (The).    By  Mrs.  Sandham, 
Which  is  the  Wiser?   B"y  Mar    ~ 
Who  Shall  be  Greatest!   1 


_-_    I 


D.  Appleton  &  Company's  List  of  New  Works.                 3 

Miscellaneous  and  General  Litera 
ture. 

An  Attic  Philosopher  in  Paris,         ...        25 
Appletons'  Library  Manual  1  25 
Agnell's  Book  of  Ches«                                               1  25 

THACKERAY'S  WORKS. 

The  Book  of  Snobs,  

60 
50 
60 
50 
60 
1  00 
50 
1  00 
50 
50 
»  00 

15 
75 
75 
1  00 
1  00 
50 
38 

2  00 
61 

1  50 
4  Ol> 
1  50 

1  25 
tfc 

3  50 
6  00 
2  00 
63 
3  00 
6  00 
1  00 
1  00 
1  00 
1  25 
1  00 
1  00 
1  00 
1  00 
7E 
75 

1  00 
5  60 
75 
2  00 
1  00 
1  25 
1  00 
75 
75 
38 
1  00 
3  00 
6  «0 
75 
1  00 
8  00 
1  00 
1  00 

25 
2  00 
1  00 
1  00 

60 
06 
06 
2  50 
2  00 

The  Confessions  of  Fitzboodle, 
The  Fat  Contributor,        ... 
Jeames'  Diary.  A  Legend  of  the  Rhine,         . 
The  Luck  of  Barry  Lyndon,     .... 
Men's  Wives,    
The  Paris  Sketch  Book.    2  vola.      . 
The  Shabby  Genteel  Story,      .... 
The  Yellowplush  Papers.    1  vol.  16mo.  . 
Thackeray's  Works.  6  vols.  bound  in-  cloth, 

Trescott's  Diplomacy  of  the  Revolution, 

Arnold's  Miscellaneous  Works,        .         .        .210 
Arthur.    The  Successful  Merchant,          .        .        75 
A  Book  for  Summer  Time  in  the  Country,       .        50 
Baldwin's  Flush  Times  in  Alabama,         .        .    1  25 
Calhoun  (J.  C.),  Works  of.  4  vols.  publ.,  each,    2  00 
Clark's  (W.  G.)  Knick-Knacks,       .         .         .     1  25 
Cornwall's  Music  as  it  Was,  and  as  it  Is,         .        63 
Essays  from  the  London  Times.  lst&  2d  Series, 
each,  50 

Ewhanks'  World  In  a  Workshop,     ...        75 
Ellis'  Women  of  England,        ....        60 

Ward's  Letters  from  Three  Continents,   . 
"        English  Items,      
Warner's  Rudimental  Lessons  'in  Music, 
Woman's  Worth,      

Philcsophica  Works. 

Cousins  Course  of  Modern  Philosophy,  . 
Philosophy  of  the  Beautiful,       . 
-      "        on  the  True,  Beautiful,  and  Good,       . 
Comte's  Positive  Philosophy.    2  vols.      . 
Hamilton's  Philosophy.   1  vol.  8vo. 

Poetry  and  the  Drama. 

Amelia's  Poems.    1  vol.  12mo. 
Brownell's  Poems.    12mo  
Bryant's  Poems.     1  vol.  8vo.  Illustrated, 
"           "          Antique  mor. 
"            «          2  vols.  12mo.  cloth,      . 
"           "          1  vol.  18mo. 
Byron's  Poetical  Works.     1  vol.  cloth,    . 
"           "             "          Antique  mor. 
Burns'  Poetical  Works.  Cloth, 
Butler's  Hudibras.  Cloth,          .... 
Campbell's  Poetical  Works.   Cloth, 
Coleridge's  Poetical  Works.    Cloth, 
Cowper's  Poetical  Works,        .... 
Chaucer's  Canterbury  Tales,    .... 
Dante's  Poems.    Cloth  
Dryden's  Poetical  Works.    Cloth,  . 
Fay  (  J.  S.),  Ulric  ;  or,  The  Voices, 
Goethe's  Iphigenia  in  Tauris.     Translated,    . 
Gilfillan's  Edition  of  the  British  Poets.  12  vols. 
published.    Price  per  vol.  cloth, 
Do.    do.     Calf,  per  vol  
Griffith's  (Mattie)  Poems,        . 
Hemans'  Poetical  Works.    2  vols.  16mo. 
Herbert's  Poetical  Works.    16mo.  cloth, 
Keats'  Poetical  Works.    Cloth,  12mo.      . 
Kirke  White's  Poetical  Works.    Cloth,  . 

"     Hearts  and  Homes  1  50 
"     Prevention  Better  than  Cure,        .        .        75 
Foster's  Essays  on  Christian  Morals,        .        .        50 
Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Wakefield,      ...        75 
Grant's  Memoirs  of  sn  American  Lady,   .        .        16 
Gaieties  and  Gravities.    By  Horace  Smith,     .        50 
Guizot's  Hifitorv  of  Civilization,       .         .        .     1  00 
Hearth-Stone.    By  Rev.  S.  Osgood,  .         .        .     1  00 
Hobson.     My  Uncle  aud  I,        ....        16 

Johnson's  Moaning  of  Words,  .        .        .        .     1  00 
Kavanagh's  Women  of  Christianity,        .        .        15 
Leger's  Animal  Magnetism,      .         .        .        .     1  00 
Lite's  Discipline.    A  Tale  of  Hungary,    .        .        63 
Letters  from  Home.  A.  D.  138,         .        .        .     1  90 
Margaret  Maitland  15 
Maiden  and  Married  Life  of  Mary  Powell,      .        50 
Morton    Montague  ;    or   a  Young  Christian's 
Choice,        75 
Ma-.-aulav's  Miscellanies.  5  vols.       .         .         .500 
Maxims  of  Washington.    By  J.  F.  Schroedcr,     100 
Mile  Stones  in  our  Life  Journey,       .        .        .     1  00 

MINIATURE  CLASSICAL  LIBRARY. 

Po.-tic  Lacon;  or,  Aphorisms  from  the  Poets,         38 
Bond's  Golden  Maxims,    81 
Clarke's  Scripture  Promises.    Complete,         .        88 
Elizabeth  ;  or,  The  Exiles  of  Siberia,       .        .        31 
Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Wakefield,     ...        38 
u           Fssays,                              ...        38 

Gem*  from  American  Poets,    ....        38 
Hannah  More's  Private  Devotions,          .        .        31 
"            "        Practical  Piety.    2  vols.        .        75 
Heinans'  Domestic  Affections,  ....        81 
Hoffman's  Lays  of  the  Hudson,  Ac.        .        .        88 
Johnson's  History  of  Rasselas,          ...        38 
Manual  of  Matrimony,      81 

"        Melodies.    Compile,          ...        38 

"     Christ  in  Hades.    12mo. 
Milton's  Paradise  Lost.   18mo. 
"         Complete  Poetical  Works, 
Moore's  Poetical  Works.    8vo.  Illustrated,      . 
«             "             "         Mor.  extra,    . 
Montgomery's  Sacred  Poems.    ]  vol.  12mo. 
Pope's  Poetical  Works.    1  vol.  16mo. 
Southey's  Poetical  Works.     1  vol.   . 
Spenser's  Faerie  Queene.    1  vol.  cloth,     . 
Scotl's  Poetical  Works.    1  vol. 
"      Lady  of  the  Lake.    16mo.    . 
"       M-trmion 

Pure  Gold  from  the  Rivers  of  Wisdom,         .        38 

Token  of  the  Heart.     Do.  of  Affection.     Do. 
of  Remembrance.      Do.    of    Friendship. 
Do.  of  Love.  Each  31 
Useful  Letter-  Writer,       88 
Wilson's  Sacra  Privata,     .        .        .        .        .        81 
Young's  Nigut  Thoughts,           ....        88 

Little  Pedlington  and  the  Pedlingtonians,       .        50 
Pnsmatics.     Tales  and  Poems,         .        .         .     1  25 
Papers  from  the  Quarterly  Review,          .        .        60 
Republic  of  the  United  Suites.  Its  Duties,  Ac      1  00 
Preservation  of  Health  and  Prevention  of  Dis 
ease,   75 

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OPINIONS     OP    EMINENT     MEN. 

From  Ex-President  FILLMOUE. 

I  have  read  "  Party  Leaders11  with  great  satisfaction  and  delight,  and  return  you  a  thou 
Band  thanks  for  the  pleasure  and  instruction  I  have  derived  from  the  perusal. 
From  Honorable  EDWARD  EVERKTT. 

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ference  to  the  ability  and  impartiality  with  which  it  is  drawn  up.  I  am  prepared  to  read 
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From  Honorable  J.  P.  KENNEDY. 

I  was  greatly  delighted  with  the  fine,  discriminating,  acute  insight  with  which  the  cha« 
racters  presented  in  the  work  are  drawn,  and  with  the  eloquent  style  of  the  sketches.  I 
but  repeat  the  common  opinion  of  the  best  judges,  which  I  hear  every  where  expressed, 
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"The  Flush  Times  of  Alabama"  had  whetted  my  desire  to  see  this  second  production 
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oprosite  departments  of  literature. 

From  lion,  li.  M.  T.  HUNTER,  U.  S.  Senator  from  Virginia. 

I  have  read  "  Party  Leaders"  with  great  pleasure.    It  is  written  with  ability,  and  witln 
freshness,  and  grace  of  style,        *        *        *        The  chapters  on  Randolph  are  capital. 
From  Hon.  JAMES  M.  MASON,  U.  S.  Senator  fvom  Virginia. 

I  have  heard  "  Party  Leaders "  highly  commended  by  those  competent  to  judge,  but 
confess  I  was  not  prepared  for  the  intellectual  and  literary  feast  its  rich  pages  have  yielded. 

Asa  literary  work,  I  shall  be  much  disappointed  if  it  does  not  place  its  author  at  once 
In  the  first  rank  of  American  literature,  and  even  in  old  England.    I  shall  look  for  its  place 
nett  to,  if  not  by  the  side  of,  the  kindred  works  of  Milntosh  and  Macaulay. 
From  a  Distinguished  Statesman. 

It  is  a  noble  production,  full  of  profound  thought,  discriminating  judgment,  just  crlti 
•stem,  and  elevated  sentiments,  all  expressed  in  the  most  captivating  and  eloquent  style.  II 
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taguaga 


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JOSEPHINE. 
MARIA  LOUISA, 
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LUCIEN  BONAPARTE, 
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CHARLES  BONAPARTE, 
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Probably  no  writer  has  had  the  same  op 
portunities  for  becoming  acquainted  with 

NAPOLEON  THE  GREAT 
as  the  Duchess  D'Abrantes.  Her  mother 
rocked  him  in  his  cradle,  and  when  he 
quitted  Brienne  and  came  to  Paris,  she  guid 
ed  and  protected  his  younger  days.  Scarcely 
a  day  passed  without  his  visiting  her  house 
during  the  period  which  preceded  his  depar 
ture  for  Italy  as 

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 
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greater  part  of  Europe. 

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BRILLIANT  ENGAGEMENTS 
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captain  of  the  age.  No  interruption  took 
place  in  the  intimacy  which  she  enjoyed,  so 
that  in  all  these  scenes,  embracing  a  period 
of  nearly 

THIRTY  YEARS, 

tho  Duchess  became  familiar  with  all  the 
secret  springs  of 

NAPOLEON'S  ACTIONS, 


either  through  her  husband  or  by  her  cwn 
personal  knowledge  and  observation  at  th* 
Court  of  Napoleon. 

JOSEPHINE, 

whose  life  and  character  so  peculiarly  attract 
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the  deeds  of 

THE  EMPERORS  AND  KINGS, 

THE  GREAT  MEN  OF  THE  DAY, 

THE  MARSHALS  OF  THE  EMPIRE, 

THE  DISTINGUISHED  LADIES  OF 

THE  COURT, 

arc  described  with  minuteness,  which  pei 
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FAMILIAR  GOSSIPING  STYLE, 
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reader  never  wearies.    She  has  put  every 
thing  in  her  book — great  events  and  small. 

BATTLES  AND  BALLS, 
COURT  INTRIGUES  AND  BOUDOIR 

GOSSIP, 
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THOUGHTS  UPON  HOME  LIFE  IN  OUR  CITIES. 
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ever  read."— Boston  Evening  Traveller. 

"  Capt.  Canot  has  certainly  passed  through  a  life  of  difficulty,  danger;  and  wild,  daring 
adventure,  which  has  much  the  air  of  romance,  and  still  he,  or  rather  his  editor,  tells  the 
tale  with  so  much  straightforwardness,  that  we  cannot  doubt  its  truthfulness."— New  York 
Sunday  Despatch. 

"The  work  could  not  have  been  better  done  if  the  principal  actor  had  combined 
the  descriptive  talent  of  De  Foe  with  the  astuteness  of  Fouche  and  the  dexterity  of  Gi. 
Bias,  which  traits  are  ascribed  to  the  worthy  whose  acquaintance  we  shall  soon  make  by 
his  admiring  editor11— JV.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  The  general  style  of  the  work  is  attractive,  and  the  narrative  spirited  and  bold — well 
suited  to  the  daring  and  hazardous  conrse  of  life  led  by  the  adventurer.  This  book  is  illus 
trated  by  several  excellent  engravings.1' — Baltimore  American. 

'•The  biography  of  an  African  slaver  as  taken  from  his  own  lips,  and  giving  his  adven 
tures  in  this  traffic  for  twenty  years.  With  great  natural  keenness  of  perception  and  com- 
plete  communicativeness,  he  has  literally  unmasked  his  real  life,  and  tells  both  what  h« 
was  and  what  he  saw,  the  latter  being  the  Photograph  of  the  Negro  in  Africa,  which  has 
been  so  long* wanted.  A  nephew  of  Mr.  Mayer  has  illustrated  the  volume  with  eight  ad 
mirable  drawings.  We  should  think  no  book  of  the  present  day  would  be  received  with 
BO  keen  an  interest"— Home  Journal. 

"  Capt.  Canot  has  passed  most  of  his  life  since  1819  on  the  ocean,  and  his  catalogue  of 
adventures  at  sea  and  on  land,  rival  in  crotesqueness  and  apparent  improbability  the  mar 
vels  of  Eobinson  Crusoe.1' — Evening  Pest. 

"If  stirring  incidents,  hair-breadth  escapes,  and  variety  of  adventure,  can  mako  a  book 
Interesting,  this  must  possess  abundant  attractions."— Newark  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  This  is  a  true  record  of  the  life  of  one  who  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  days  la 
dealing  in  human  flesh.  We  commend  this  book  to  all  lovers  of  adventure." — Boston 
Christian  Recorder. 

"  We  would  advise  every  one  who  is  a  lover  of  '  books  that  are  books1 — every  one  who 
admires  Le  Sage  and  De  Foe,  and  has  lingered  long  over  the  charming  pages  of  Gil  Bias 
tnd  Eobinson  Cruaoo— every  one,  pro-slavery  or  anti-slavery,  to  purchase  this  book."-- 
Buffalo  Courier 


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R  23 1991 


361469 

DC213 

Napoleon  I.  Vjh 

Confidential        v.l 
correspondence  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte 
with  his  brother 
Joseph. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


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